With Lumo, Proton thinks it can carve a place at the AI table

Proton, a privacy-focused tech company, has released Lumo, a chatbot built on open-source models, as an alternative to popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Proton believes it can compete in the AI chatbot market by offering a more privacy-preserving approach. The article discusses Proton's strategy, which involves using a combination of smaller open-source models that require fewer resources to run, allowing them to offer Lumo at a lower cost than their competitors. Proton's head of machine learning, Eamonn Maguire, argues that users don't always need the most advanced AI models for their everyday tasks and that Lumo can provide capable responses at a more affordable price. The article also explores the challenges Proton faces, such as competing against well-funded tech giants and the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI) by larger players in the industry. However, Proton believes that by focusing on providing a privacy-preserving ecosystem for users, it can carve out a niche in the AI chatbot market, similar to how Proton Mail has established itself as a viable alternative to Gmail.