With Perplexity's Push for Hybrid AI, Your Laptop Could Function as a Data Center - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Perplexity is shifting how some sensitive AI data is stored, balancing processing between local silicon and cloud servers. “People would rather own a data center in their laptop than build on one they don’t control,” Perplexity says. Perplexity, an AI-powered search and answer engine, has a new way to turn personal devices into decentralized data centers. The company said Tuesday that it’s adding a new hybrid local-server system to Personal Computer, its AI agent that can work across files, apps and the web. Starting in July, the system will automatically decide which parts of a task should run directly on a user’s device and which should be sent to more powerful AI models in the cloud. A smaller model running locally could handle sensitive data and routine work locally, such as financial records, health information and personal files. More complicated work that requires the capabilities of a larg