The Pulse
Hark Launches Hark Pro, an Assistant That Uses Your Computer
Hark Pro is designed to carry out tasks through a user’s computer, with a free option and a paid tier for heavier use. Its privacy policy describes the data the service collects and limits its model-training restriction to AI providers cove
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
In 2027, Hark plans to follow its new AI assistant with an AI-native device. For now, the San Jose startup is putting its software first: Hark Pro, released October 6, is designed to use a computer on a user’s behalf, not just answer questions. The service has a free option and a paid tier for heavier use, though Hark did not disclose the subscription price in TechCrunch’s launch report.
Hark Pro aims to take over the task, not just suggest it
Hark Pro presents a full-screen workspace with a central chat, prompts for possible tasks and small dashboards the company calls “panels.” Users can connect services and information including email, calendars, files and credit cards. Hark’s model is trained specifically for computer use, and the assistant can take on tasks as well as respond to conventional chatbot questions, according to TechCrunch’s report on the launch.
In a product demonstration, Hark design lead Abidur Chowdhury showed the assistant surfacing expenses to approve, emails to answer and a flight that needed booking. He also described a case in which it noticed a colleague’s car registration needed renewal and handled the process through the California Department of Motor Vehicles website. Those examples show the product’s intended distinction: it is meant to identify and carry out work, not stop at suggesting next steps.
A visible browser is part of Hark’s privacy pitch
Hark displays the agent’s web navigation in a small window, making its clicks and progress visible to the user. Chowdhury said the feature is intended to build trust by showing that the assistant is doing the right thing.
“Please compare it to the others, be critical,” he says. “It might not be faster than Muse, but it will give you a better result, and it will work end-to-end instead of asking you to take over at a point.”
Abidur Chowdhury, Hark’s design lead, speaking to TechCrunch
That promise is about more than a browser window. The assistant’s usefulness depends on access to personal accounts and information, so the amount of data it can touch becomes part of the privacy question. Hark says it wants to use personal context to help with tasks, rather than build profiles for advertising; Chowdhury described that work as focused on tasks.
Hark’s policy spells out what connected use can involve
Hark’s privacy policy says it collects account details, prompts and outputs, and content users refer to in prompts or connected applications. For features that retain information across sessions, it says it stores facts, preferences and summaries drawn from prompts, outputs and connected accounts; users can review, edit or delete that memory by asking the agent.
The policy also says Hark may collect task files, shell commands, code and execution logs from the virtual environments used to carry out tasks. It says Hark may share personal data with service providers and business partners for various purposes, including data processing. Specifically, AI providers with whom Hark has a written agreement are prohibited from using the data for model training and must provide safeguards at least as protective as Hark’s own. Hark says it has not sold or shared personal data, as those terms are defined by applicable law, in the preceding 12 months. The policy also describes promoting Hark’s services and an opt-out from sharing personal data for targeted advertising to promote them.
The model’s focus leaves a capability trade-off
A model built for computer use may perform those actions faster and at lower cost than a general-purpose model, TechCrunch reported, but the trade-off in broader knowledge and capability is not yet clear. Chowdhury urged users to compare Hark with competitors and said the assistant should complete jobs end-to-end rather than hand control back midway.
The software is the first part of Hark’s plan. The company says an AI-native device will follow in 2027, but has not disclosed its form. For users considering the assistant now, Hark’s own policy asks them not to provide sensitive personal information, including financial account numbers, even as TechCrunch’s launch report says users can connect credit cards.