An AI assistant that manages your inbox, calendar, and purchases is only as safe as the place your data goes when it works. This week two very different assistants launched, one that runs in a company's cloud and one that runs on your own computer. Here is how to decide which kind fits your business, and a short checklist you can use on any tool that comes next.

QUICK ANSWER

Choose an AI assistant by matching where your data lives to how sensitive your business information is. A cloud assistant like Meta Muse is convenient but runs in Meta's cloud. A local assistant like Underdog keeps processing on your own computer but is early and invite only. Decide before you connect email or client files.

What are Meta Muse and Underdog?

Meta Muse is a personal AI agent, which means software that completes tasks for you instead of only answering questions. Meta says it can book appointments, fill out forms, and monitor home security camera feeds. It comes in a free tier or in paid plans reported at $20 or $100 a month, depending on usage. Pricing and availability can change, so check Meta's official Muse page for current details.

Underdog is a personal AI assistant from a startup called Conway Research. The model runs on your own Mac or Windows PC instead of in a data center, and it launched as an invite-only beta. Linux, iPhone, and Android versions are described as coming later.

Both want to handle real business tasks. They make opposite bets on where your information should live.

Why does it matter where your AI assistant runs?

It matters because an assistant that handles your email and calendar sees your clients' names, your pricing, your contracts, and your conversations. Where that information is processed and stored becomes a business risk decision, not a technical detail.

Cloud assistants process your data on the provider's servers. That is how most AI tools work, and it is often fine for low-risk tasks. The questions to ask are who can access the data, whether it is used to train future models, and what the tool can do without asking you.

Local assistants process data on your own machine. That removes one big question, because your information is not sent to a provider to be processed. It does not remove every risk. If you connect your email to a local assistant, your email provider still holds your email, and a lost or poorly secured laptop is still a problem.

What does Meta Muse do with your data?

Muse runs on a dedicated virtual machine in Meta's cloud, with a separate Sentinel agent running beside it. Meta says it asks for your approval before sensitive actions such as sending an email or buying something.

On training, Meta says that unless you opt out, it will remove critical personally identifying information and then use your agent conversations to improve its models. You can opt out in the Muse settings. If you try Muse, find that switch first, before you connect anything.

Privacy researchers have raised a second concern. A security researcher found that Muse can build profiles of a user's friends, family, and colleagues, and that non-users can be exposed when their messages or details show up in someone else's data. Meta's spokesperson told Wired the agent uses publicly available information that users chose to share. For a business owner, that matters because your clients and employees are the "other people" in your inbox.

Meta also plans to test a more locked down Muse Confidential VM later in 2026. Do not make decisions based on a feature that has not shipped.

What does Underdog do differently?

Underdog is built to process emails, schedules, local files, and coding tasks on your computer without sending personal data to cloud servers. It also encrypts the keys for email and other accounts you choose to connect.

It is free at launch, with no ads. The company plans to earn money from a small percentage of payments the assistant makes for you over Stripe, similar to an interchange fee. That is worth understanding. A tool paid on your purchases has a different incentive than a tool paid on your attention, but you should still watch what it buys on your behalf.

The limits are real. It is an invite-only beta, it covers only Mac and Windows right now, and a model running on your own computer depends on your hardware. Check Underdog's official requirements before you plan around it.

How do you choose a private AI assistant for your business?

Use this checklist before you connect any assistant to business accounts.

1. List what the assistant would touch. Email, calendar, client files, payment details, shared drives.

2. Sort that list into three groups. Public information, internal information, and confidential information such as client records, financial data, and anything covered by a confidentiality agreement or professional rules.

3. Ask four questions about any tool. Where is my data processed? Is it used to train models, and how do I turn that off? Who at the company can access it? What can it do without asking me first?

4. Match the tool to the group.
   • Public and internal tasks: a cloud assistant with training turned off is usually reasonable.
   • Confidential information: use a local tool or a business grade plan with written data terms, or keep the data out of the assistant entirely.

5. Test with low risk data for two weeks. Give it your public calendar and a test inbox, not your client list.

6. Write down your decision. One page covering approved tools, data that never goes in, and who reviews what the assistant does.

Pay attention to the difference between a consumer app and a business plan. Consumer products often have different data terms than business accounts. Read the terms for the plan you actually use.

Jessica's Take

You do not have to choose the flashiest tool. You have to choose the one that fits how much privacy your business actually requires. For some of the business owners I work with, from Brevard County to clients across the country, the answer is not a free cloud assistant that touches client email.

Who should use a cloud assistant like Muse: owners handling low risk tasks who have turned off training use, reviewed the permissions, and will approve every action. Who should wait: anyone handling client records, health, legal, or financial information until they have read the data terms for the exact plan they would use. Who should watch Underdog: owners who want local processing and are comfortable with an early beta. What to watch out for: connecting an assistant to your whole inbox on day one.

Takeaway

The question is no longer which assistant is smartest. It is where your data goes and what the tool can do on its own. Answer that first, and the right tool is much easier to pick.

If you want help making these decisions with other business owners asking the same questions, join us inside the Surfside AI Collective. https://surfsidesocialai.com/collectivehome

FAQ

Is Meta Muse safe for business use?

It depends on what you connect and how you set it up. Muse asks for approval before sensitive actions, and you can opt out of model training. Treat it like any consumer tool and keep confidential client information out until you have read the terms for your plan.

Does a local AI assistant mean my data is completely private?

Not completely. Local processing means your data is not sent to a provider to be processed, which removes a major risk. Your accounts, your device security, and any services you connect still matter.

Can I try Underdog today?

As of this writing it is an invite-only beta for Mac and Windows. Availability and requirements may change, so check the official Underdog site for current details.

What should I check before connecting an AI assistant to my email?

Check where data is processed, whether it is used for training and how to turn that off, who can access it, and what actions it takes without asking you. Start with a test inbox before your real one.

Book your free AI training consultation:

https://surfsidesocialai.com/freeaitrainingconsult

Jessica Hosfeld | Surfside Social AI | I make AI make sense.
[email protected] | 407-900-1542 | www.surfsidesocialai.com | @surfsidesocialai