Brave Software, known for its dedication to privacy, is enhancing its Leo chatbot by incorporating search results directly from its Brave Search API. This feature is seamlessly integrated within the company’s proprietary web browser. The firm believes that this new functionality will enable users to access information that is more current and relevant.
With this integration, users can leverage the chatbot to obtain real-time updates such as the latest sports scores. Additionally, while browsing through articles, users can utilize Leo to gain deeper insights and context about the subject matter at hand. The integration also facilitates the discovery of timely and pertinent topics, which can be particularly useful for crafting social media content.
Brave Software is emphasizing the privacy-centric nature of its latest feature, which integrates search results into the Leo chatbot without compromising user anonymity. The company assures that there is no need for users to log in to use the service, and it does not retain records of interactions with the AI chatbot on its servers. Furthermore, Brave asserts that the responses from the chatbot are not utilized for training its model, reinforcing its commitment to user privacy.
To further protect user identity, Brave routes requests through an anonymization server, effectively concealing the user’s identity. For those interested in enhanced features, Brave offers Leo Premium at a monthly fee of $14.99. Subscribers to Leo Premium benefit from increased rate limits and access to the most up-to-date models. To safeguard personal privacy, the company issues tokens that cannot be linked to individual users when a subscription is purchased.
Brave’s strategic development of its AI capabilities is part of an effort to draw more users to its browser and search engine. Last year, the company introduced AI-powered summarization within its search product, providing concise summaries of search results. The Leo AI Assistant was made available to the public in November 2023. In April, Brave rolled out an AI Answer engine within its search function to directly respond to user queries.
Brave is not alone in integrating AI; other browsers like Edge, Opera, Arc, and SigmaOS have also incorporated AI features to varying extents. However, Brave’s unique position as the owner of both a browser and a search engine stack presents an opportunity to refine its offerings and potentially gain a competitive edge in the market.