David mentioned in the podcast, someone uploading appliance manuals, etc., to Notebook LM and then asking it questions. I’ve been hearing quite a bit about the AI in Devonthink and wondering whether the software has the capability of doing the same thing. In other words, can I use Devonthink to create my own large language model or is the AI just for surfacing particular files or information you’re looking for? If it doesn’t have that capability, does anyone know whether the developer is looking to add that feature? Having that feature may well make it worthwhile to me to get Devonthink, rather than what I’m using now, which is Keep It.
The DT implementation of AI is the more limited one you described. The developer has indicated that they’re looking at uses of AI in the future, but no commitments. There’s a new version of DT coming some time this year, so who knows?
There’s been intermittent discussion of this very thing on the Devontechnologies forum - it might be worth having a read if you have time (and inclination - every forum I go to turns into another rabbit-hole!)
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Thanks! That’s what I figured.
Since DEVONthink is mainly a storage app, you can use any other app to ask about PDFs.
I recomend PDF Pals, which is built for this excact purpose. https://pdfpals.com/
But you can use ChatGPT, BoltAI, or any other app that accepts a dragged PDF out of DEVONthink.
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That is a very limited view of the software. It’s not a mere “storage app” but functions as a hub for many people, both professionally and personally.
In other words, can I use Devonthink to create my own large language model
No, this is not what’s going on and you can’t simply “create your own LLM”. Oh, if life and technology were so simple! 
or is the AI just for surfacing particular files or information you’re looking for?
The AI in DEVONthink (which predates modern AI by two decades) is for finding, organizing, and connecting documents in your databases.
If it doesn’t have that capability, does anyone know whether the developer is looking to add that feature?
We don’t tease about or make premature announcements, and it is not a topic to be taken lightly. For an internal implementation, we have to think about data integrity, data privacy, the quality of results, etc. People have their lives, businesses, education, etc. in their databases so it is paramount we consider things carefully. So we have to consider far more than a simple, “Can it do this…?”
That being said, yes it’s being heavily investigated (and yes, I’ve seen some “interesting” things).
PS: Having the PDF documents in DEVONthink isn’t a hindrance to an external AI, as @zsbenke noted.
PPS: We have many litigators across the world who use and rely on DEVONthink, even in the courtroom, in some cases. Our friend @Evan has been with us for many years now. 
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