Brave
Brave, the innovative web browser company, is extending access to its AI-driven assistant, Leo, to all desktop users. The company is introducing a Leo Premium subscription at $15 per month, offering enhanced features, such as quicker and more powerful large language models (LLMs) and increased rate limits.
Leo has undergone extensive testing over the past few months and was initially introduced to Brave’s Nightly version users in August. As of today, it is accessible to all desktop users of Brave’s browser version 1.60.
Users can easily engage with Leo by either clicking on the Leo icon in the sidebar to initiate a conversation or simply by typing a query into the address bar and clicking the Leo icon for a prompt response.
Brave’s AI-powered assistant, Leo, is adept at handling context-aware requests, including summarizing webpages or videos, text translation, and paraphrasing content.
Leo relies on the advanced Llama 2 and Anthropic’s Claude LLMs. While free users access the basic versions of these models, premium subscribers gain access to more powerful models like Llama 2 70B, Code Llama 70B, and Anthropic Claude Instant, resulting in faster and more precise responses.
Brave has gone to great lengths to ensure user privacy. All requests made to Leo are routed through an anonymous server as a proxy, preventing any link back to specific IP addresses. Moreover, the company assures that response data is instantly discarded after generation, with no storage on any server or use for model training. Brave goes a step further by emphasizing that all subscriptions are verified using unlinkable tokens, guaranteeing user activity and email privacy.
Browser-based AI assistants and features are gaining traction across the industry. Competitors such as Opera and Microsoft Edge have also integrated AI assistants in their sidebars, while newcomers like SigmaOS and Browser Company’s Arc have explored various formats and functionalities for AI-based features. As the adoption of AI in browsers continues to grow, innovation beyond mere summarization and rephrasing features will be essential for companies seeking monetization opportunities.
Brave, which downsized its workforce by 9% in October, is now concentrating on revenue generation. In April, the company shifted away from Bing’s index for its search needs, opting to rely on its proprietary indexing solution. In May, Brave introduced its own search API for clients, featuring pricing starting at $3 per 1,000 queries.
