Key facts
- Hark Pro is a full-screen AI assistant with a chat dialog and "panels" for data visualization.
- Users can configure Hark Pro to access their email, calendar, hard drive, and credit cards.
- Hark Pro shows users how the AI navigates the web to build trust.
- Hark states its mission is to build a user interface for AI, not to create AGI.
- Hark plans to release an AI-native device in 2027.
Hark, a startup founded less than a year ago by Brett Adcock, has launched Hark Pro, an AI personal assistant. The service is available for free, with a subscription tier for users with heavier needs. Hark's mission is to create a user interface for AI, focusing on using a computer for the user rather than pursuing artificial general intelligence (AGI). Hark Pro features a full-screen interface with a central chat dialog and "panels" that act as mini-dashboards. Users can grant the assistant access to their digital lives, including email, calendar, and hard drive, to perform tasks. During a demonstration, Hark Pro proactively suggested actions such as approving expenses, responding to emails, and booking a flight. To build user trust, Hark Pro displays how the AI navigates the web, a feature not common in other AI assistants. Abidhur Chowdhury, Hark's head of design, stated that the company's focus is on privacy and not on selling ads or collecting user data, contrasting with companies like Meta or OpenAI. He emphasized that Hark's data usage is task-related, aimed at helping users manage their workload. Chowdhury believes Hark Pro's strength lies in its ability to fully substitute for a user's computer and provide better end-to-end results compared to competitors. The company's AI model is specifically trained for computer use, which may offer speed and cost advantages but could potentially trade off broader knowledge found in frontier LLMs. Hark also plans to release a novel AI-native device in 2027.