Not reliably, and not across the board. The next generation of AI tools is moving some file work onto devices, but “on-device” describes where a computation runs. It does not tell you what the assistant can read, what it keeps, what it sends when a task gets harder, or who may review the content. Those answers depend on the specific product, the account you sign in with, and the version you use.
What “on-device” does and does not promise
A local model processes your input on your hardware. That can reduce how often raw content leaves your device for routine tasks, such as summarizing a note or rewriting a paragraph. It does not settle several other questions that matter just as much:
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- Context access: Can the assistant see other apps, open windows, screenshots, or connected accounts, or only the file you selected?
- Derived data: Does the system store summaries, embeddings, transcripts, or indexes built from your files, even when the original never leaves the device?
- Tools and integrations: When the assistant calls a web search, a calendar, or a third-party extension, what data goes with that call?
- Telemetry: What diagnostic or usage data is sent, and what does it contain?
- Cloud fallback: What triggers a handoff to a server, and does the handoff include the document or only part of the request?
An academic framework published in June 2026 by Chung and Badhe makes this same distinction between processing location and access, retention, and transmission. It is a scholarly framework that compares products against their published documentation. It is not an independent audit, and it does not verify any vendor’s privacy claims.
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The clearest current example is Apple Intelligence. Apple’s security documentation says it handles tasks on-device whenever possible and sends more sophisticated requests that need additional processing to Private Cloud Compute (PCC). Apple’s 2025 technical report described a compact on-device model of roughly 3 billion parameters, optimized for Apple silicon, alongside a server-based model designed for PCC. That figure describes model size, not adoption, privacy, or quality.
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Hybrid is a deliberate design choice, not a temporary workaround. Small or routine work stays local, while heavier work goes to a protected cloud system. The hybrid design is the reason a “local” label alone is not enough: the same assistant can do both.
What Apple says about PCC
Apple describes PCC as stateless computation. In its legal privacy page, dated September 14, 2026, Apple says data processed by PCC is not stored or made accessible to Apple and is used only to fulfill the request. The same page describes limited request metadata that may be collected, such as approximate request and response size, the feature used, and duration. It says request and result content are not part of that metadata.
Apple also says users can enable an Apple Intelligence & PCC Report to see requests sent off-device to PCC and to supported Apple Intelligence Extensions. This visibility is a useful control, but it covers supported requests only.
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On June 8, 2026, Apple’s Security Engineering and Architecture team published “Expanding Private Cloud Compute.” Apple said the next generation of Apple Foundation Models spans on-device and cloud, and that PCC is being extended to Google Cloud systems using NVIDIA GPUs, Intel CPUs with TDX, and Google’s Titan chip for the most demanding work. The post states Apple’s core requirements: “Our core PCC requirements remain exactly the same: stateless computation, enforceable guarantees, no privileged runtime access, non-targetability, and verifiable transparency.” These are Apple’s own commitments and architecture. They are not an independent evaluation, and an announcement does not show which route a particular task takes on your device.
Cloud assistants: Gemini Apps and Copilot
Not every assistant follows Apple’s model. Cloud-first products usually receive the files you give them, and the question becomes what the provider’s policy allows it to do with them.
Google Gemini Apps
Google’s Gemini Apps Privacy Notice, last updated June 29, 2026, lists files, videos, screens, photos, imported chats, and browser page content among the information users may provide. It says that data can be used to provide, maintain, improve, develop, personalize, and customize services, and that human reviewers review some collected data for those purposes. Google advises users not to enter confidential information they would not want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve services.
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These terms cover Gemini Apps while signed in. The notice says signed-out use falls under Google’s general Privacy Policy. Do not apply these terms to every Google model or device feature. Gemini Nano and other on-device features on Android are a separate question, and the current routing rules for those features should be checked in Google’s own documentation for your device and software version.
Microsoft Copilot: consumer app versus Microsoft 365
Microsoft uses “Copilot” for more than one product with different rules. Its consumer Copilot FAQ identifies an updated Copilot app available as of August 18, 2026, and says the FAQ’s rules apply only to the older app, not to the new app or web version. For the older app, the FAQ says shared files may be stored securely for no longer than 18 months and then deleted automatically, and that conversations are stored by default for 18 months. Because the FAQ points newer users elsewhere, do not apply that 18-month file window to the current standalone app or web experience without first reading the policy the FAQ links to.
Microsoft 365 apps for home are documented separately. Copilot there works with the content of the file you are working on, or another file you ask it to inspect. Microsoft’s page says prompts, responses, and file contents are not used to train foundation models. This applies to home subscriptions and personal Microsoft accounts. It does not describe enterprise accounts or the standalone Copilot app.
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In the Microsoft 365 home documentation, two settings control the connection: “Experiences that analyze content” and “All connected experiences.” Turning off either one disables Copilot features in Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Look for these labels in your Microsoft account privacy settings. The documentation does not give a single navigation path, so confirm the location for your version.
How the main options compare
The table below uses only what the cited vendor documentation states. “Not stated” means the documentation reviewed does not address that point for the product and account shown.
| Question | Apple Intelligence (PCC) | Gemini Apps (signed in) | Copilot consumer app (older app, per FAQ) | Microsoft 365 apps for home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where processing happens | On-device when possible; more demanding requests to PCC, which Apple says is being extended to Google Cloud systems (announced June 8, 2026) | Cloud service | Cloud service | Cloud service for Copilot features in the apps |
| Content scope | Request metadata only, such as approximate size, feature, and duration, per Apple’s September 14, 2026 page | Files, videos, screens, photos, imported chats, browser page content | Shared files and conversations | The file being worked on, or another file the user asks Copilot to inspect |
| Retention | PCC data not stored after the response, per Apple’s stated design | Not stated in the notice reviewed | Files up to 18 months; conversations stored by default for 18 months | Not stated in the page reviewed |
| Used to train foundation models | Not stated in the pages reviewed | Notice says data may be used to improve services; not stated as training in the same terms | Not stated in the FAQ reviewed | Not used to train foundation models, per Microsoft |
| Human review | Not stated in the pages reviewed | Yes, for some collected data, per Google’s notice | Not stated in the FAQ reviewed | Not stated in the page reviewed |
| User controls and visibility | Apple Intelligence & PCC Report for supported requests | Signed-out use falls under the general Privacy Policy | FAQ directs newer app users elsewhere | Disable “Experiences that analyze content” or “All connected experiences” |
Checklist for judging a tool before you upload
Use these questions for any AI assistant, including ones not covered here. Answer each one from the current policy for the exact app, version, and account you use.
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- Route: Which tasks run on the device, which go to a vendor server, and what triggers the handoff?
- Scope: Does the service get only the document you choose, or also screenshots, browser content, connected apps, or system context?
- Retention: How long are files, prompts, transcripts, and derived summaries kept? Can you delete them, and does deletion cover the derived items?
- Training: Are your files used to train foundation models, to improve products, to personalize your experience, or for safety review? Treat each as a separate question.
- Human review: Can staff or service providers read the content, and under what settings?
- Visibility: Can you inspect where requests went, turn off the feature, or export a log?
- Account context: Is this a consumer app, a personal Microsoft 365 subscription, a work account, or a signed-out session? Each can carry different rules.
Two common assumptions break under this checklist. “No training” does not mean a file was never uploaded, never retained, or never reviewed. “On-device” does not mean the assistant has no access to the rest of your system.
What is not yet established
As of October 2026, there is no comparable market-wide figure for how many AI tasks run locally, how many AI services upload the files users give them, or how user privacy has changed as a result. Most vendor pages change without notice, and the statements above reflect the documents dated as shown. The current standalone Copilot app and web experience have uploaded-file retention terms that are not covered by the older FAQ, so they should be checked directly in Microsoft’s linked policy before you rely on them.
A more accurate version of the headline is this: the next wave of AI is moving some file work onto devices, while harder tasks still go to cloud systems that vendors describe with their own privacy commitments.
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