Artificial intelligence is steadily making its way into productivity tools, but its growth raises a question that can no longer be ignored: what happens to the data we share with these digital assistants? While most major AI players rely on collecting information to improve their models, Proton is pursuing a radically different strategy. With Lumo AI 2.0, the Swiss company is adding new reasoning capabilities, customizable memory, image generation and improved web search to its AI assistant, while making privacy its main selling point.1
This new version is therefore not just trying to compete with ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini on performance. Above all, it aims to show that it is possible to offer modern artificial intelligence without turning users’ conversations into raw material for training models or feeding advertising systems.
Proton pursues its vision of privacy-centered artificial intelligence
For several years, Proton has been building a digital ecosystem founded on the protection of personal data. Known for Proton Mail, Proton Drive, Proton VPN and Proton Calendar, the Swiss company is now applying the same philosophy to artificial intelligence.
With Lumo AI 2.0, privacy is not an add-on feature: it is the very foundation of the service. Unlike some conversational assistants that retain exchanges to improve their models or personalize their services, Proton says conversations remain protected thanks to a secure architecture and a policy that keeps the collection of personal data to a strict minimum.1
This approach addresses a growing concern among individuals and businesses alike. As AI assistants become capable of handling confidential documents, strategic information and professional communications, the question of digital sovereignty is becoming as important as technical performance.
An assistant that gets smarter without becoming harder to use
Lumo AI 2.0 does more than improve privacy. Proton is also introducing several changes designed to make its assistant more effective in everyday use.
The model now features a more advanced reasoning mode. When faced with a complex request, the assistant breaks the problem down step by step, explores several approaches and then builds a more structured answer. This improvement notably boosts the quality of summaries, document analyses and technical explanations.
Another major new feature is persistent memory. When a user allows it, Lumo AI 2.0 can remember certain preferences in order to gradually tailor its responses. Unlike systems where this memory remains largely opaque, Proton lets users view, edit or delete stored information at any time. Users thus keep control over what the assistant actually remembers.2
The interface remains deliberately simple and accessible. Proton Mail and Proton Drive users will find a familiar environment, making it easier to integrate the assistant into their daily work without juggling multiple accounts or platforms.
Web search, image generation and new uses
Proton is also adding features to Lumo AI 2.0 that are quickly becoming must-haves for next-generation assistants.
The assistant can now search the web to incorporate up-to-date information into its answers when needed. This capability significantly improves results on current events, professional research and document analysis. Proton also cites the sources used to make the answers it produces more transparent.1
Image generation is also making its debut. Users can quickly create illustrations for presentations, working documents or digital publications directly from the Lumo AI 2.0 interface. Proton notes, however, that it has built in several mechanisms to limit abuse and to respect intellectual property rules.
Taken together, these features are gradually turning Lumo AI into a true productivity assistant rather than a simple conversational chatbot.
Privacy designed for individuals and businesses alike
If Proton places so much emphasis on privacy, it is because its assistant targets an audience that is particularly sensitive to these issues.
Law firms, public agencies, consulting firms and research teams handle strategic information every day that cannot be entrusted to just any cloud service. For these organizations, the ability to use artificial intelligence without exposing their data now represents a significant competitive advantage.
The Swiss legal framework is another differentiator. Proton benefits from legislation recognized for its high level of personal data protection, which strengthens the trust of many European users wary of the big American platforms.
This philosophy does not mean, however, that Lumo AI 2.0 sacrifices the user experience. On the contrary, Proton aims to show that a high-performing assistant can work perfectly well without building its business model around the exploitation of personal data.
How to access Lumo AI 2.0?
Proton is gradually rolling out Lumo AI 2.0 to users across its ecosystem. The assistant is available directly from the Lumo web app, as well as through compatible Proton services, with no complex installation required.3
European users, including those in France, can already access the service, as Proton opted for a simultaneous global launch, unlike some models whose rollout remains limited to the United States for several weeks.
The company offers a free version for trying out the assistant’s main features, while subscribers to the Proton Unlimited and Proton Visionary plans get extended access with higher quotas, more processing capacity and new advanced features such as persistent memory and image generation.3
For organizations looking to integrate the assistant into their professional workflows, Proton is also continuing to develop its business offering, with gradual integration across its entire secure ecosystem.
A different strategy from the American giants
The launch of Lumo AI 2.0 shows that competition between AI assistants is no longer based solely on model size or benchmarks.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Microsoft are investing heavily in performance and intelligent agents. Proton is choosing a different battleground: digital trust. The company believes the next generation of assistants will need not only to deliver relevant answers but also to guarantee that the information entrusted to them stays under its owners’ control.
This strategy could appeal to a growing number of European organizations facing GDPR requirements, digital sovereignty policies or the challenges of keeping business data confidential.
The ethical stakes: privacy becomes a competitive advantage
The evolution of Lumo AI 2.0 reflects a deeper transformation of the artificial intelligence industry. For a long time, users were mainly interested in model performance. Now, the way these models handle personal data is becoming just as important.
The development of assistants capable of remembering preferences, analyzing confidential documents or producing professional content requires much more rigorous governance of the information exchanged. In this context, businesses will have to weigh feature richness, ease of use and the level of protection offered by each provider.
Lumo AI 2.0 shows that another approach is possible. Although no solution can guarantee zero risk, Proton has chosen to limit data collection from the very design of its assistant rather than adding protection mechanisms after the fact.
A new vision of artificial intelligence
With Lumo AI 2.0, Proton is not just launching a new conversational assistant. The company is putting forward a different vision of artificial intelligence, in which technical performance goes hand in hand with stronger control over personal data.
As AI assistants become embedded in professional and personal environments, this approach could become a real differentiator. In a market dominated by a handful of major American players, Proton is a reminder that the future of artificial intelligence will depend as much on the trust placed in platforms as on their technological capabilities.
How does Lumo AI 2.0 work?
Lumo AI 2.0 is the artificial intelligence assistant developed by Proton, the Swiss company behind Proton Mail, Proton Drive, Proton VPN and Proton Calendar. Unlike most AI assistants on the market, which are designed primarily to maximize performance or improve models using user data, Lumo AI 2.0 takes a privacy-centered approach. Its architecture combines advanced language models, encryption mechanisms and transparent data management to provide an environment where users stay in control of their personal information.
The model relies on improved reasoning capabilities that allow it to break complex requests down into several logical steps before building a structured answer. This approach improves the quality of summaries, document analyses, research and tasks that require in-depth reasoning. Lumo AI 2.0 also includes optional persistent memory. When the user allows it, the assistant can remember certain preferences in order to gradually personalize its responses. This information can be viewed, edited or deleted at any time.
The model also features built-in web search, giving it access to recent information so it can enrich its answers with up-to-date content while citing the sources consulted. This capability improves the relevance of answers on current events, professional research and documentary work. Proton is also adding image generation directly into the assistant, making it possible to quickly create illustrations for presentations, documents or digital content.
All of these features run on Proton’s secure infrastructure. Conversations are covered by a strict data protection policy and an architecture designed to keep the collection of personal information to an absolute minimum. This philosophy sets Lumo AI 2.0 apart from many AI assistants whose business model relies in part on exploiting user data.
- Advanced reasoning: analysis of complex requests through logical, multi-step decomposition
- Controlled persistent memory: optional personalization of responses, with the ability to manage or delete stored information
- Built-in web search: access to recent information, with sources displayed when needed
- Image generation: create illustrations directly from the chat interface
- Secure conversation handling: an architecture designed to limit the collection of personal data
- Integration with the Proton ecosystem: compatible with Proton Mail, Proton Drive, Proton Calendar and the platform’s other services
- Swiss infrastructure: hosting and governance that meet the high standards of Swiss data protection law
- Some advanced features remain limited to Proton’s paid subscriptions
- Reasoning performance may vary depending on the complexity of requests and the models used
- Its image generation capabilities are newer than those of some specialized players on the market
- Persistent memory must be deliberately enabled by the user
- Like all language models, Lumo AI 2.0 can produce factual errors or hallucinations and requires human validation for critical uses
- Enhanced privacy does not remove the need to follow cybersecurity best practices, including multi-factor authentication and account protection
Learn more
The development of Lumo AI 2.0 reflects a major shift in conversational assistants, where performance can no longer be separated from privacy and data protection concerns. On a related topic, check out our article “Temporary Chats in Gemini: A Step Toward More Privacy-Friendly AI”, which examines how major AI players are evolving their services to give users more control over their data and interactions.
References
1. Proton. (2026). Introducing Lumo AI 2.0.
https://proton.me/lumo
2. Proton Support. (2026). Using Memory and Privacy Controls in Lumo.
https://proton.me/support/lumo
3. Proton. (2026). Lumo AI Plans and Availability.
https://proton.me/lumo/pricing