Perplexity is bringing a brand new feature to its desktop application designed to keep personal data completely safe while working with complex tasks. The company recently announced that its new hybrid compute system is now officially available for Mac users. This major update allows the software to smoothly split workloads between remote servers and local hardware, ensuring that highly sensitive documents never leave the actual computer.
The tool processes sensitive files locally to protect personal data
When a user starts a task in the cloud, an on-device classifier scans the request before anything gets sent out. If it detects names, addresses, or account numbers, the system swaps those details for temporary stand-ins. Once the artificial intelligence generates an answer, the original private data is restored locally. Users can even start a request on an iPhone and let their desktop access the local files to finish the job safely.
Running these local models requires serious power. Perplexity states that users need a machine running Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later. Because local models demand heavy memory, machines with 8GB or 16GB of RAM are left out. The minimum requirement is 24GB of unified memory, though the company recommends 32GB for the best results.
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Setting up the system is incredibly easy. Users can download the required language model with a single click inside the app, avoiding the need for manual configuration or API keys. By keeping the most sensitive steps on the actual hardware, the new AI feature gives people a much safer way to research and analyze private files.
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