Against the backdrop of tech giants like Google and Microsoft introducing AI features into their email services, Proton Mail, known for its privacy and security, has launched its own AI writing assistant - Proton Scribe. This new feature aims to help users more efficiently compose and optimize emails while strictly protecting user privacy.
Proton Scribe has been designed with privacy protection in mind. Since Proton Mail uses zero-access encryption, Scribe cannot access users' inbox data for training, and Proton does not store or record any content from users' email drafts. Users can choose to run Scribe on their local system or on Proton's no-log servers. Notably, Scribe is based on open-source models and code, allowing independent researchers to conduct privacy and security audits, which further enhances its transparency and credibility.
In terms of functionality, Proton Scribe offers a rich set of writing aids. Users can easily access Scribe by clicking the pencil icon in the Proton Mail editor. After telling the tool what you want to convey in the email, it will create a draft for you. Scribe also provides "shorten" and "proofread" options to help users compress and clean up drafts. Additionally, users can adjust the tone of the email to be more formal with one click. Before sending, users can always check and modify the content generated by AI.
Currently, Scribe fully supports English only, and Proton is gradually rolling out this feature to eligible users. In terms of pricing strategy, Visionary and Lifetime subscribers can use Scribe for free. For Proton Business plan users (including Mail Essentials, Mail Professional, and Proton Business Suite), the company offers a 14-day free trial period. After the trial period, each user will be charged $3 per month to continue using this service.
Proton states that the writing assistant was one of the most popular features in a recent user survey. By launching Scribe, Proton aims to provide users with a secure, privacy-focused alternative to AI writing tools, meeting the demand for intelligent writing assistance while adhering to the company's consistent privacy protection philosophy.