Hybrid Local‑Cloud Agents Raise Privacy Risks

Perplexity Computer runs a manager AI locally (recommended on a Mac mini) that has always‑on access to local files and apps while heavy model inference happens on Perplexity's servers. The manager delegates subtasks to sub‑agents that can create documents, gather data, or even generate software, with approvals, activity logs, and a kill switch offered as mitigations. That combination creates a new attack and accountability surface distinct from pure‑cloud or pure‑local AI. — This architecture blurs the boundary between personal computing and platform control, raising urgent questions about consent, liability, data exfiltration, and how regulators should oversee agent permissions and logs.