Perplexity’s Personal Computer turns your spare Mac into an AI agent

AI search startup Perplexity has launched Personal Computer, a new tool designed to turn a spare Mac computer into a dedicated, locally-run AI agent. The system operates 24/7 on a device within your local network, has full access to your files and applications, and can be controlled remotely from any device. Perplexity positions it as "a digital proxy for you" and a more secure version of other agent systems like OpenClaw, emphasizing local operation for enhanced privacy.

Key to its security pitch are features like a full audit trail, the ability for users to reverse actions, and a requirement to approve sensitive tasks before execution. The company also highlighted a built-in kill switch. The tool is not yet publicly available; interested users must join a waitlist for early access. It's built to run on consumer hardware like a Mac Mini, broadening its potential appeal beyond purely professional use cases.

In a demonstration, Perplexity showed Personal Computer functioning as a virtual assistant, handling prompts to draft investor emails, convert reports into presentations, and rank job candidates. CEO Aravind Srinivas ambitiously suggested the product could help a single person build a billion-dollar company by overcoming the "single biggest disadvantage" people have: sleep, as the agent never sleeps. This launch follows Perplexity Computer, a cluster of agents launched last month, and is part of the company's strategy to move beyond being just an answer engine into becoming a specialized tool for productivity and automation.