Writing from the team behind Merrin.
Policy reviews and engineering notes on privacy, local-first architecture, and the trade-offs behind a private AI companion. Every post is written to be checked, not just read.
Privacy & trust
Is it safe to journal in ChatGPT? What the policies say
We read the training, retention, and deletion terms for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Grok, and put what they actually say in one dated table.
Engineering
Building a local-first AI companion that remembers what matters
Most AI companions forget you when the request ends. We kept the model, the memory, and the transcript on your device. Here is the architecture, the memory loop, and the trade-offs, with charts.
Comparisons
PocketPal AI vs Merrin: the model is not the product
PocketPal AI runs models on your phone. Merrin remembers what you talk about. Where each app wins, and what you get after the model answers.