Proton launches Lumo 2.0 with multimodal capabilities, scores 240% higher on AI benchmarks

Proton has released Lumo 2.0, adding image recognition and generation, encrypted memory features, and enhanced web search to its privacy-focused AI assistant. The company claims Lumo 2.0 Max scored 240% higher than version 1.4 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index.

Performance gains and new features

Lumo 2.0 Max scored 240% higher than Lumo 1.4 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, according to Proton. The index combines results from nine benchmarks including GDPval-AA v2, Terminal-Bench v2.1, Humanity's Last Exam, and GPQA Diamond. Lumo 2.0 Lite scored 127% higher than version 1.4 on the same index.

The update introduces three major capabilities:

• Image recognition and generation: Multimodal features allowing users to analyze, edit, and generate images within conversations, protected by zero-access encryption
• Memory and context: User-controlled memory, encrypted Projects feature, and Custom Lumos for personalized workflows
• Web search: Enhanced search with live results and source citations

Proton maintains its core privacy principles: no logs, zero-access encryption, no data sharing with third parties, no use of conversations for AI training, and reliance on open-source language models.

Business offering and adoption

Proton claims more than 10 million people have adopted Lumo as a privacy-focused alternative to mainstream AI platforms. The company is targeting businesses with Lumo for Business, emphasizing that conversations are zero-access encrypted, never logged, and never used for model training. The service runs on independent European infrastructure, which Proton says protects it from US Executive Orders and American data collection requests.

Pricing and availability

Lumo 2.0 is available now with three tiers:

• Free tier: Core AI features for everyday private use
• Lumo Plus: Unlimited chats, Projects, advanced image generation, and access to Proton's most capable models (pricing not disclosed)
• Lumo Professional: Advanced capabilities for teams requiring secure AI collaboration (pricing not disclosed)

What this means

Proton is positioning Lumo 2.0 as direct competition to ChatGPT and Claude, claiming user testing shows users can no longer perceive qualitative differences for many use cases. The 240% benchmark improvement is significant, though the specific scores and how they compare to OpenAI and Anthropic's latest models remain unclear. For organizations handling sensitive data, the combination of European infrastructure and zero-access encryption may offer a compelling alternative to US-based AI services, particularly given recent executive actions affecting AI data governance.