Proton, the privacy-focused tech company, has announced a significant expansion of its AI writing assistant Scribe. Previously limited to business users, Scribe is now available to a wider range of Proton Mail subscribers and supports eight additional languages.
Expanded Availability
Proton Scribe, which helps users compose and improve email drafts, is now accessible to:
- Proton Family subscribers
- Proton Duo subscribers
- Proton Mail Business users (as an add-on)
Additionally, Proton Mail Plus and Unlimited subscribers can try Scribe with a 14-day trial, after which they'll need to upgrade to continue using the feature.
New Language Support
Scribe now supports email composition in:
- French
- German
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Chinese
- Japanese
This expansion allows users to write emails in languages they may not speak fluently, with confidence in the accuracy and privacy of their communications.
Privacy-First Approach
Unlike many AI writing tools, Proton Scribe prioritizes user privacy:
- For English, processing occurs locally on the user's device
- Non-English languages are processed on Proton's secure servers
- No user data is retained or shared with third parties
- The system is not trained on user inbox data
Eamonn Maguire, head of machine learning at Proton, emphasized the importance of this approach, stating, Rather than copying sensitive communications into third-party AI tools, people can now use these services directly in their inboxes in a privacy-preserving way.
Technical Requirements
Users should note that Scribe requires:
- 4GB initial download
- PC with at least 8GB of RAM
- Currently limited to web and desktop versions (not available on mobile)
As AI writing assistants become increasingly popular, Proton's expansion of Scribe demonstrates a commitment to providing privacy-conscious alternatives to mainstream options like Gmail's Help Me Write feature. By combining enhanced language support with its signature focus on data protection, Proton aims to make privacy-first AI accessible to even more people.