Portable Computer is Perplexity's new local AI agent - why it's a game changer - ZDNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Running an AI model locally, Perplexity's new Portable Computer can deliver faster performance, tighter security, and lower costs. But it has some strict requirements. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Perplexity has unveiled a new version of its Personal Computer agent, released in February, that aims to eliminate some of the drawbacks of using AI in the cloud. Known as Portable Computer, this new option relies on local AI models to handle your agentic requests and assignments without the usual online overhead. Also: I gave Perplexity’s agentic AI 5 complex tasks to run on my Mac – and I’ll do it again Debuting on Tuesday, Portable Computer offers access to all the standard AI commands, features, and tools through which Perplexity’s agent can carry out tasks with little or no intervention on your part. The key part here is that the models, your files, and your work all stay on your machine. You control if and when the AI needs to hop online to achieve its mission. As always, you can still connect to external services like Google Drive, Gmail,