Google has quietly expanded its local-first AI lineup with Google AI Edge Foresight, a new Mac app that takes on AI note-takers like Granola. The release follows Google's April launch of an offline-first, AI-powered dictation tool built on local models.
A Familiar Split-Screen Experience
Foresight echoes Granola's popular split-screen layout: one side for your shorthand notes, the other for AI-generated summaries. Like Granola, it lets you take manual notes while the meeting is being transcribed. In Google's version, you can also read the full transcript or chat with a Gemma 4-powered assistant to pull answers from your notes.
Fully Offline, Powered On-Device
The Mac app runs entirely offline using the on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model, which has 740 million parameters. It captures meeting notes across apps and works for in-person meetings as well as digital ones. According to its FAQ page, Foresight is optimized for Apple Silicon and functions without an internet connection—useful when traveling or in low-connectivity environments.
A Knowledge Base You Can Query in Real Time
Users can upload PDFs, Google Docs, Microsoft Office files, plain text, Markdown, and web bookmarks to build a personal knowledge base. When a meeting touches on something in that knowledge base, the app can answer questions in real time using your notes and documents.
An Offline Showcase—For Now
Google's earlier dictation app was experimental and never reached mainstream adoption. Foresight may serve a similar purpose: demonstrating what its Gemma family of offline models can do. A consumer version of the note-taker could eventually arrive through Google's Gemini apps, working across video-calling platforms and leaning on cloud models.
A Crowded, Competitive Market
The meeting note-taker space is already crowded, but that hasn't slowed new entrants. Over the past few months, dictation company Wispr and scheduling company Calendly launched their own note-takers, while productivity startup Superhuman (formerly Grammarly) acquired YC-backed note-taker Fathom.
For now, Foresight stands out less for its features than for its approach: a local-first, privacy-friendly tool that shows how far on-device AI has come in 2026.
via TechCrunch AI