Fundraising Fox

Personal AI

San Francisco, US Β· 12 known investors

Personal AI builds user-owned personal language models and AI personas trained on an individual's own data and memories.

Also known as Human AI Labs, Inc. Β· Luther AI Β· Luther.AI Β· Personal.ai

Founders & leadership

SZ
Sharon ZhangFounder

Investors Β· 12

Also in the syndicate Β· 5

Beni VCDifferential VCleadGood Friends VCVillage GlobalVillage Global VC

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

Personal AI, the trade name of Human AI Labs, Inc., develops software that lets individuals and organizations create AI models trained on their own data rather than on general public corpora. The platform is organized around three core elements described by the company: a Memory Stack, a digital library assembled automatically from a user's everyday messages and conversations; a Personal Language Model trained on that Memory Stack to mimic the user's expression; and messaging-based interaction in which the AI drafts responses in either Copilot (supervised) or Autopilot (automated) modes. Users can create custom personas, publish a personal AI domain, and integrate multiple AIs into other applications through APIs.

The company's stated technology direction has moved from a consumer messaging experience toward enterprise deployment. Its published materials describe the Generative Grounded Transformer (GGT-1) and Small Language Models (SLMs) customized to a user's data, with memory-stacking functions for retrieving information from past interactions and networks of role-specific AI personas built on proprietary organizational data. Product milestones include the April 2023 launch of MODEL-1, a memory-based, user-trained and user-owned model, and the January 2024 announcement of MODEL-2, which added multi-persona, multi-modal and multi-channel capabilities, combined long- and short-term memory, voice cloning, image generation, multi-party dialogue, SMS and Messenger integration, and hierarchical sub-personas with individual memory banks.

The mobile application is positioned as a training and communication platform for attorneys, doctors, coaches and other subject matter experts in highly regulated industries, offering digital twin personas, SOC 2 security controls, integrations with Google Drive, OneDrive, Outlook and Gmail, and AI-powered communication across channels including SMS and website chatbots.

Founding story

Human AI Labs, Inc. was founded in February 2020 by Suman Kanuganti, Sharon Zhang and Kristie Kaiser. Kanuganti had previously founded and scaled Aira, an AI/AR accessibility technology that augmented vision for blind users, and the founders framed Personal AI as augmenting memory for everyone. The company's stated motivation is that people forget and have limited time, which constrains the number of meaningful human connections they can sustain; personal AI is intended to scale memory, time and relationships.

Business model

Personal AI sells access to its AI training and communication platform to individuals and to businesses, with flexible pricing tiers described as suited to organizations of varying size and deployments that can be extended across departments or an entire organization. Distribution channels include desktop and mobile applications, APIs for embedding personal AIs in other applications, and availability of its Small Language Model technology and AI Training Platform on Google Cloud Marketplace.

The company offers its platform commercially with flexible pricing models for businesses of all sizes and enterprise-wide deployment options; specific pricing levels are not stated in the available material.

Traction

The Android application had more than 1,000 downloads as listed on Google Play and was last updated in September 2025. Wikipedia reports total funding of $12 million raised from venture firms and individual investors. The team is described on the company site as a 25-person organization, while an earlier company article cited a team of 20.

Latest developments

The company's Android application was last updated in September 2025 and positions Personal AI as a training and communication platform with digital twin personas built on Small Language Models for regulated industries, SOC 2 security, and integrations with Google Drive, OneDrive, Outlook and Gmail. The published team roster includes multiple AI personas occupying internal executive and operational roles alongside human staff.

β–ΈFull profile β€” market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies

Market position

Personal AI positions itself as an alternative to general large language models such as ChatGPT by offering a personal model owned and controlled by the individual user rather than a shared, vendor-owned model. Third-party recognition includes being named among the best AI chatbots of 2024 by BBC Science Focus (January 2024 list) and best AI chatbot by Zapier in 2024.

The company's stated founding thesis is that an AI is only personal if the user owns it, if it is trained on that user's own data, and if it enhances human relationships. It emphasizes one model per person rather than a common shared model, user ownership of both data and model, continuous learning from the user's memories, and privacy β€” including a commitment not to use customer data for other models or to share or sell it. Small Language Models are presented as faster to train and more accurate at retaining trained memories, with transparent training data structures for compliance in regulated industries.

Technology

The core technologies are the Generative Grounded Transformer (GGT-1) and Small Language Models trained on an individual user's data rather than publicly available data, paired with a Memory Stack that acts as an evolving personal data vault and supports retrieval of past interactions. MODEL-1 provided long-term memory storage and personalized content generation and question answering from a user's own memory; MODEL-2 added multi-persona, multi-modal and multi-channel operation, integrated long- and short-term memory, voice clones, image generation, multi-party dialogue and hierarchical sub-personas with separate memory banks. The company states its models are the fastest to train and most accurate in retaining trained memories among small language models, and that user data is not shared or sold, with enterprise-grade security including SOC 2. Named R&D partners include Nvidia, MosaicML, Weights & Biases, Paperspace, Oasis Labs and Paragon.

Go-to-market

The company distributes through desktop and mobile applications (including Android via Google Play), APIs and integrations with common productivity tools, partnership and distribution channels led by a Chief Business Officer, and a cloud marketplace listing on Google Cloud that targets faster deployment for regulated industries such as finance and government. It also maintains a dedicated APAC go-to-market and partnerships function.

Individual consumers building a personal AI, and professionals and enterprises in regulated sectors β€” legal, healthcare, finance and government β€” where attorneys, doctors, coaches and other subject matter experts scale their expertise through digital twin models. The company also addresses creators and their online communities.

Geography

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, with the developer address listed as 351 California St Ste 810, San Francisco, CA 94104. The company describes its area served as worldwide and maintains a dedicated APAC go-to-market and partnerships role.

History

Founded in February 2020 as Luther AI, the company rebranded to Personal AI in 2021. It raised $3.2 million in seed funding in January 2021 led by Differential VC, and a further $7.8 million seed round in early 2023 to develop the GGT-1 model. MODEL-1 launched in April 2023 and MODEL-2 was announced in January 2024. In summer 2024 former congressman and OpenAI board member William Hurd joined the board; on September 26, 2024 the company's Small Language Model technology and AI Training Platform became available on Google Cloud Marketplace; and in September 2024 BDev Ventures announced a strategic investment.

Risks & controversies

The company's Wikipedia entry carries editorial notices about reliable sourcing for some claims. The Google Play listing states the application may collect location and personal information, and the company's model depends on users granting access to personal communications data.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β€” announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Android app downloadsSep 20251,000 downloads
Team sizeJan 202525 people
Total funding raisedJan 2024$12M

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β€” not independently audited.

Timeline Β· 10

launches, deals, and filings
Sep 2024
Small Language Model technology and AI Training Platform listed on Google Cloud Marketplace

Listing intended to enable faster deployment for regulated industries such as finance and government.

source β†—

Sep 2024
Strategic investment from BDev Ventures

source β†—

Jan 2024
Named best AI chatbot by Zapier

source β†—

Jan 2024
William Hurd joined the board of directors

Former congressman and OpenAI board member joined the Personal AI board in summer 2024.

source β†—

Jan 2024
Announced Personal AI MODEL-2

Multi-persona, multi-modal and multi-channel system expanding on MODEL-1, integrating long- and short-term memory, voice clones, image generation, multi-party dialogue, SMS and Messenger integration, and hierarchical sub-personas with individual memory banks.

source β†—

Sep 2023
Named among best AI chatbots of the year by BBC Science Focus

source β†—

Apr 2023
Launched MODEL-1

A memory-based, user-trained, user-owned and user-controlled AI model designed for long-term memory storage and personalized content generation and question answering.

source β†—

Jan 2023
Raised $7.8M seed funding for GGT-1 model

Funding backed by Supernode Global, Differential Ventures, BBG Ventures, Village Global and other investors to develop the Generative Grounded Transformer (GGT-1), which trains on individual users' personal data.

$7.8M source β†—

Jan 2021
Raised $3.2M seed round led by Differential VC

Seed funding to build a personal intelligence platform, with participation from Village Global VC, Good Friends VC, Beni VC and Keshif Ventures.

$3.2M source β†—

Jan 2021
Rebranded from Luther AI to Personal AI

The company, originally known as Luther AI, adopted the Personal AI brand name.

source β†—

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

In the news

β–ΈResearch sources Β· 8

primary sources listed

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Personal AI do?
Personal AI builds user-owned personal language models and AI personas trained on an individual's own data and memories.
Who founded Personal AI?
Personal AI was founded by Sharon Zhang.
Who are Personal AI's investors?
Personal AI's investors include BDev Ventures, Beni Venture Capital, Differential Ventures, Good Friends, Supernode Global, Accel, BBG Ventures.
Where is Personal AI headquartered?
Personal AI is headquartered in San Francisco, US.