Proton Throws Shade at Apple Intelligence Privacy as It Launches AI Chatbot

Introduction: The AI Privacy Debate Heats Up

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape how we interact with technology, companies are battling not only for capability leadership but also for consumer trust. This week, privacy-focused tech company Proton made major headlines by launching its own AI chatbot — and taking a pointed jab at Apple’s claims around privacy and its new “Apple Intelligence” system.

Proton’s launch isn’t merely about joining the AI race. It’s about reasserting the importance of digital privacy and user control in a landscape where Big Tech’s AI solutions increasingly depend on cloud-based data processing. With their new offering, Proton positions itself as the go-to alternative for people who want the benefits of artificial intelligence — without sacrificing their digital privacy.

Proton’s New AI Chatbot: A Secure Response to Big Tech

On July 23, 2025, Proton officially launched its AI chatbot, known as Proton AI. The company, best known for its encrypted email service Proton Mail and its VPN, doubled down on its commitment to privacy by introducing an AI assistant that doesn’t compromise user data.

Unlike many AI systems developed by larger tech corporations, Proton’s AI model is explicitly designed with privacy at its core. According to the company, this chatbot:

• Does not collect or store user data
• Does not send conversations to the cloud for processing
• Uses local device encryption to preserve confidentiality

This privacy-first approach aligns with Proton’s overall philosophy — putting user needs and rights at the forefront of innovation.

Built on Open-Source Foundations

Proton AI is built using the open-source LLM framework Mistral, ensuring transparency and accountability at all stages of development. It also runs primarily on-device, meaning the vast majority of the AI processing happens on the user’s hardware with no data offloaded to outside servers.

This architecture allows Proton to make good on its promise: “AI Without Spying.”

A Subtle (or Not So Subtle) Dig at Apple

While Proton didn’t name Apple directly in its press release, the comparison was clear. Proton’s blog post accompanying the chatbot release included pointed language about how certain tech giants justify user data collection in the name of “personalization” or “smarter AI.”

This comes just weeks after Apple announced its suite of AI features under the branding of “Apple Intelligence.”

Apple has made a significant effort to reassure users that its AI capabilities will be deeply integrated with on-device processing, steering clear of mass data aggregation. However, despite these claims, Proton appears unconvinced.

In a comment clearly meant to distinguish its offering from Apple’s, Proton stated that it is, “the only tech company consistently refusing to compromise user privacy for features or convenience.” The implication is clear: even Apple, for all its rhetoric, hasn’t gone far enough.

How Apple Intelligence Works

To better understand the context, let’s recap what Apple is offering. Apple’s “Apple Intelligence” system, announced during WWDC 2025, brings AI functionality to numerous iOS and macOS applications, including:

• Smarter Siri interactions
• Context-aware suggestions
• On-device summarization for emails and documents

While Apple touts end-to-end encryption and emphasizes its use of on-device processing, it also introduced “Private Cloud Compute” — a feature allowing Apple Intelligence to offload particularly complex tasks to cloud servers run by Apple, albeit in an anonymized and encrypted way.

To Apple’s credit, numerous independent security audits have confirmed that the Private Cloud Compute system is secure and defensible from a data privacy standpoint. But to Proton — whose business model is explicitly focused on never touching user data — any form of off-device processing is a red flag.

Why Proton’s AI Approach is Different

Proton’s AI tool is part of its mission to create a full suite of privacy-respecting digital services. With tools like encrypted email, secure cloud storage, and private calendar services already under its belt, introducing a privacy-centric AI assistant is the logical next step.

Here’s how Proton differs from the competition:

• No third-party tracking: Proton doesn’t integrate with data brokers or advertisers.
• End-to-end encryption: Any input into the chatbot is treated with the same confidentiality principles as its email service.
• No logging: Sessions with Proton AI aren’t stored, saved, or reviewed by humans.
• Open-source transparency: Unlike closed systems like ChatGPT or Apple’s Private Cloud Compute, Proton builds on open models that interested parties can independently verify.

Even though these limitations may result in a chatbot that’s less contextually “intelligent” than more commercial large language models, it’s a fair trade-off for privacy-minded users.

Public Response and User Trust

Since Proton’s announcement, the privacy community and many tech enthusiasts have responded favorably. Early reactions on Reddit, Mastodon, and Proton’s own user forums highlight users’ appreciation for a privacy-conscious AI that doesn’t spy by default.

Some skeptics argued that Proton’s open source foundation makes its chatbot feel more like a low-frills demo than a commercial polished product. Yet, many users note that the experience is smooth, intuitive, and clearly designed with transparency in mind — a rare feat in the fast-paced world of AI.

Proton vs. Big Tech: A Matter of Principles

Proton’s launch and the subtle critique of Apple underscore one of the larger growing tensions in tech: can companies build advanced AI while still respecting user privacy?

While Apple continues to straddle the line between big-data innovation and individual privacy protections, Proton has taken a more zero-tolerance position. If nothing else, Proton’s latest move proves there is still demand for solutions that represent the user first — not the bottom line.

What This Means for the Future of AI

The debut of Proton AI signifies more than just another entry into the chatbot space. It marks a shift towards decentralized and ethics-driven AI development, which could be key to reversing what many see as the current trend of intrusive data collection.

As users become increasingly aware of how their digital profiles are formed, sold, and manipulated, demand for alternatives to Big Tech’s AI models is expected to grow. Proton’s AI chatbot may not have the bells and whistles of its more corporately funded competitors, but it brings something even more valuable to the table: user trust.

Expect other privacy-forward outfits, such as DuckDuckGo and Signal, to follow suit with competing tools in the months ahead.

Conclusion: A Privacy-First AI Future?

Proton’s entry into the AI world adds a much-needed layer of diversity to today’s increasingly homogenized ecosystem. While Apple Intelligence undoubtedly introduces unprecedented convenience for users within the Apple ecosystem, it still leaves open questions around true data sovereignty.

With its no-compromise approach, Proton is betting that people are ready to put privacy first — even in the age of AI.

Whether this bet pays off will depend on market adoption, continual improvement of Proton AI’s capabilities, and a general cultural shift towards ethical tech entrepreneurship. But one thing is clear: Proton just raised the bar for what privacy should mean in the age of AI.< lang="en">