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

The Verge / 3/12/2026

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Key Points

  • Perplexity launched Personal Computer, an AI agent tool that can turn a spare Mac into a locally running AI system operating on your home network.
  • The system runs 24/7 on a dedicated device, has full access to your files and apps, and can be controlled from anywhere on any device.
  • It represents a deeper, more personalized version of Perplexity's earlier Perplexity Computer, positioning the setup as a "digital proxy for you."
  • This release signals Perplexity's shift from being mainly an answer engine to enabling on-device, general-purpose AI agents and local-first workflows.

Perplexity wants to be more than just an answer engine. On Wednesday, it launched Personal Computer, a new AI agent tool that can turn a spare Mac into a locally run AI system, pitching it as "a digital proxy for you."

Personal Computer will run 24/7 on a dedicated device on your local network, have full access to your files and apps, and be controllable from anywhere and on any device, Perplexity said. That deeper access makes it a more personalized version of a similar product Perplexity launched last month, Perplexity Computer, a cluster of agents it described as a "general-purpose digital worker."

Perplexity pitches the system as more …

Read the full story at The Verge.