Perplexity’s Personal Computer, the answer to OpenClaw and other local AI agents, is now available to all Mac users through a desktop app, the company announced Thursday.
As a reminder, the Personal Computer is an extension of Perplexity’s generic multi-model digital worker, confusingly called the Perplexity Computer. A “personal computer”, on the other hand, is designed to bring these capabilities to your own device. This is accomplished by giving AI agents access to local files, applications, connectors, and the web to process individual users’ personal, multi-step workflows.
Or, as the company describes Personal Computer, it “takes your computer out of the cloud-only world and onto the device where most of the actual work is already done.”
The goal is to capitalize on the growing demand for local AI agents popularized by OpenClaw that can perform tasks on behalf of users. However, while OpenClaw introduced some security risks due to privilege escalation, solutions like Personal Computer aim to provide users with a more secure AI-enabled computing environment. (Or at least that’s the claim.)
Perplexity’s Personal Computer was introduced last month, but was limited to Perplexity Max subscribers and included a waiting list. The company has now announced that anyone with a Mac can try out the software as part of the new Perplexity Mac app. (Anyone can download the new app, but you’ll need a Pro or Max subscription on your personal computer.)
At launch, the software can work with local files, native Mac apps, and work on the web. You can also tailor tools and files, use over 400 connectors, and leverage your personal context within a secure development environment on Perplexity’s servers.
When combined with Perplexity’s AI-powered Comet web browser, you can interact with web-based tools without the need for a direct connector.
Personal computers designed to run autonomous agents on always-on devices like the Mac Mini can also be accessed remotely from an iPhone, allowing tasks to be initiated and requests to be approved from the device.
Perplexity suggests that this can be used for all kinds of work, including working with spreadsheets, documents, and projects containing various materials. The tool works across apps, so agents can compare two files from different apps, or take notes from one app and create a draft in another.
Perplexity says that as a result of the public rollout, the old Mac app will be retired within weeks, allowing the team to focus on the Personal Computer app.
The new Mac app is currently only available as a direct download. Not in the Mac App Store.
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