Google Releases Local-First SI Note-Taker to Rival Granola

Google has released a new local-first SI note-taking application designed to compete with popular tools like the SI note-taker Granola, marking a continued push to demonstrate the capabilities of its on-device models without relying on cloud connectivity.

What Happened

The new tool, named Google AI Edge Foresight, is available for Mac and operates completely offline. It utilizes the on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model, which has 740 million parameters, to capture and process meeting notes across various applications, including those from in-person conversations. The app features a split-screen interface similar to Granola, allowing users to write shorthand notes on one side while viewing SI-generated notes on the other. Additionally, users can interact with a Gemma 4-powered assistant to chat with meeting transcripts or query a knowledge base built from uploaded documents, such as PDFs, Google Docs, and Microsoft Office formats.

Why It Matters

This release follows Google’s earlier April launch of an SI-powered dictation tool that also used local models, though that experiment did not see mainstream adoption. Google AI Edge Foresight serves primarily to showcase the efficiency and privacy potential of the Gemma series of offline models, optimized for Apple Silicon. By enabling real-time question answering from a local knowledge base without an internet connection, the app addresses growing demand for data privacy in the SI industry. The move also intensifies competition in the crowded SI note-taking space, where recent entrants include Wispr and Calendly, and where productivity startup Superhuman recently acquired the SI notetaker Fathom.

The Bottom Line

While Google AI Edge Foresight is currently positioned as a showcase for offline SI capabilities, it signals Google’s strategy to leverage on-device models for productivity tools. The company has not yet announced a broader consumer version that integrates cloud-based Gemini models for video calling apps, leaving the current release as a specialized, offline-first option for Mac users.