Swiss app company Proton has introduced ‘Proton Scribe,’ an AI-powered private writing assistant that writes and proofreads emails for you. 

Why? 

Proton says that with most of us sending emails daily, finding the right words and tone can be time-consuming. Also, other popular email programs process data on remote servers, thereby posing a risk that as data is transmitted over the internet and stored on external servers, it may be susceptible to breaches, hacking, or unauthorised access. In addition to these risks, many people use online grammar checkers or AI assistants to help compose and edit emails which can be risky in terms of sensitive company or customer data potentially being shared, misused, or used to train language models. 

Advantages 

Here are some ways that Proton boasts this new smart, privacy-first writing assistant (built into Proton Mail) tackles these challenges : 

– The AI element helps users to compose and improve email drafts, thereby saving time. Proton says that the ability to use the AI to hone drafts means that the end result emails are “professional and polished – even if your first language is not English.” 

– It can be run locally, so user-data never leaves the user’s device, thereby enhancing privacy and data security.   

– Scribe doesn’t train on the user’s inbox data (because this has zero-access encryption), and nothing that a user types into Scribe is logged or saved. 

– The company had previously developed its own internal AI models (using an independent internal team) and the learning from this has been used to help create Scribe. 

Open Source Too 

Proton Scribe is also open source and therefore available for independent security and privacy audits. 

Who Can Use It? 

Scribe is available for a full-use-trial by Proton customers. For example, Proton says customers on Mail Essentials, Mail Professional or Proton Business Suite plan can try Scribe by opening their email composer and clicking on the pencil icon. Scribe is also included free as part of Visionary and Lifetime subscription plans. 

How Does It Work? 

To use Scribe, it’s a case of opening it in Proton Mail composer, clicking on the pencil icon and typing, and then using the Shorten or Proofread options to improve email drafts so they’re free of typos and grammatical errors. For writing to an important client or formal institution, users can improve the tone of their email with the Formalise option before refining, editing, and sending it. 

Challenge To Google & Microsoft? 

Some commentators have noted how with Proton recently unveiling Proton Docs (its privacy-focused alternative to Google Docs) and now Scribe following Google’s inclusion of its Gemini chatbot in Gmail, Proton could be seen as a more privacy-focused challenger to Google (and Microsoft) in these areas. 

Alternatives Available 

It should also be noted here that Scribe is not the only privacy-focused, AI-powered email writing assistant available. For example, others include Flowrite (a tool that integrates with email and messaging platforms), Compose AI (as a free Chrome extension), and Mailbutler which works with Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. 

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

The introduction of Proton Scribe is a sign of a shift towards ensuring privacy and efficiency in email communication for businesses. By integrating a privacy-first AI writing assistant directly into Proton Mail, Proton’s customers can now enjoy the benefits of AI-driven email composition without compromising on data-security. As noted above, it’s Proton Scribe’s local operation that helps ensure that sensitive information remains on the user’s device, purportedly mitigating risks associated with data breaches, hacking, and unauthorised access often associated with remote server processing. 

For businesses, this kind of tool could mean a substantial reduction in the time spent on drafting and proofreading emails, allowing employees to focus more on core tasks. In Scribe’s case, the AI’s capability to refine drafts into professional and polished messages (even for non-native English speakers) appears to be a fast and easy way to significantly enhance the quality of business communications. This could, of course, lead to improved client interactions and more effective internal communications, thereby delivering significant value to users of Scribe. 

Also, at a time when there are privacy and security concerns about generative AI models, the assurance that Proton Scribe does not log or save user inputs and does not train on users’ inbox data (due to zero-access encryption) provides an additional layer of security and reassurance. This could prove very valuable for companies handling sensitive client information, as it ensures that no data is inadvertently shared or misused. 

Proton is also keen to demonstrate its commitment to transparency through open-source availability which allows for independent security and privacy audits, further establishing trust with businesses concerned about data-integrity and security. These features of Scribe could position Proton as a serious contender in the market, offering a robust alternative to established players like Google and Microsoft, especially for those prioritising privacy. 

With other privacy-focused AI tools like Flowrite, Compose AI, and Mailbutler also available, businesses now have multiple options to enhance their email productivity while safeguarding their data. However, Proton Scribe’s seamless integration into Proton Mail and its strong privacy features may offer a unique edge for businesses already invested in the Proton ecosystem.