Brave sells search index to AI developers amid legal disputes

Brave, a privacy-focused web browser, has begun selling access to its search index to artificial intelligence developers. This new business model has sparked debate regarding intellectual property and data privacy.

News Corp is currently challenging Brave in court, alleging violations of intellectual property rights. In response to these legal pressures, Brave has defended its practices by citing the principle of ‘fair use’ regarding the utilization of its content.

While Brave’s integrated AI assistant, Leo, utilizes advanced encryption and hardware enclaves to process data on-device, concerns remain about privacy when the Brave search index is used to power third-party AI assistants. Unlike Leo, which keeps history on the device, the privacy implications for queries processed through external models fueled by Brave's index are less clearly defined.