Does the Assistant send my tasks or my words anywhere?

By default, no. The Assistant runs on this computer, and what you say to it, your chats, your tasks and your About you answers stay here. If you choose a cloud engine and add your own key, what you send goes straight to that provider, never through us. Offline Lock always wins.

The Assistant is a Beta: it works, and we are still improving it. Tell us what you notice.

#On this computer, the default

In Settings → Assistant and tasks, the Engine row offers On this computer, marked Default. It is private and works with no internet. Apart from the one-time download of its model, it makes no connection. We run no server for the Assistant, and there is no telemetry. The chip at the top of the chat says where the last answer was written, and for this choice it reads “On this computer”.

#A cloud engine, if you choose one

The Engine row also offers Cloud: Groq, Cloud: OpenAI and Cloud: Claude. Each needs a key you added on the Cloud page. Until you add one, the row says “Add a Groq key in Cloud first.”, with the provider’s name. While a cloud engine is in use, Settings names the provider and lists what goes to it. What goes:

• Your messages in the chat, with the earlier messages of that chat so it can follow the conversation.
• When the Assistant works with your tasks, the task titles, notes, goals and reminders it looks at to answer you.
• Your name, role, how you work and About you, only if you switch on Share About you with a cloud engine. It is off by default.
• The text of a file you attach, or of a saved prompt you ask it to use, only after you press Send this once, described below.

Your History, notes and snippets stay on this computer. A cloud answer shows “via” and the provider after its time, and the chat header carries a line that names the provider. The provider’s own privacy terms apply to what it receives.

The card at the bottom of the sidebar always says where things go. When the Assistant is switched on and uses a cloud engine, it names the provider, and the badge reads Hybrid when your voice stays on this computer. The Privacy settings and the Dictate page say the same.

#Files and prompts: Send this once

With a cloud engine, a file or a saved prompt does not go with your message. The Assistant first shows a card headed Send this once? with the line “Nothing is sent until you choose”. It says who gets it (“Goes to” and the provider), what would be sent (your message and the text of the file or prompt) and, for a file, that the file itself is not sent. The card also says “Asked every time”.

• Send this once sends it for that one request. The card then says “Sent once. It will ask again next time.”
• Cancel sends nothing: “Cancelled. Nothing was sent.”

Numbers counted in a spreadsheet are counted by the app, so nothing leaves for them. The Assistant never reads a file or a prompt in the background.

#Dictations, History and notes never go to a cloud engine

Your recent dictations are read only when you switch on Let the Assistant read my recent dictations and only when you ask in words that mean it, and only when the Assistant runs on this computer. With a cloud engine, they are not read and not sent. Scratchpad notes never go either. If you ask while a cloud engine is chosen, the Assistant says “Your History and notes stay on this computer, so they cannot go to a cloud engine. Switch the Assistant to this computer to use them.”

#Offline Lock always wins

While Offline Lock is on, the cloud choices are greyed out and Settings says “Offline Lock is on, so the assistant runs on this computer only. Turn Offline Lock off to choose a cloud engine.” If a cloud engine was chosen before you turned it on, the Assistant does not use it and says “Offline Lock is on, so the Assistant cannot use Groq.”, with a button, Use this computer. Your key stays saved. See Offline Lock.

#What always stays on this computer

• Your chats, their summaries, your About you answers and your picture.
• Its log of what it did, which holds counts and steps and none of your words.
• Your apps and your screen. The Assistant does not watch them, and it sends nothing for you. A draft leaves only when you press Copy.