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An AI that listens, but stays quiet
Our favorite AI tool and story of the week!
AI For All
May 02, 2025
In partnership with
Hello readers,
Welcome to the AI For All newsletter! Today, we’ll be looking at an AI transcription tool with perfect privacy and no subscription fees, AI news from around the web, and more!
AI Spotlight: MacWhisper
Welcome to the AI Spotlight, where we feature an overview of an AI tool we’ve been trying out in our workflow!
What: MacWhisper is a Mac and iOS app that brings OpenAI’s Whisper transcription model to your desktop—no cloud, no subscriptions, no data leaving your machine. It supports over 100 languages, includes smart features like system-wide dictation and automatic meeting detection, and works with just about any audio format you can throw at it. A free version lets you test it out, and a one-time $60 purchase unlocks the full Pro experience.
How: Once installed, MacWhisper runs locally on your device, using your machine’s CPU or GPU to process audio files. You can drop in audio recordings, record directly from your mic, or have the app auto-detect and offer to record your Zoom, Teams, or Discord calls. With a global shortcut for speech-to-text, it's easy to transcribe anything on your Mac in a few keystrokes. Export options include subtitles, formatted docs, and full project files for collaboration or revision.
Why: Most transcription tools either send your audio to the cloud or lock key features behind monthly paywalls. MacWhisper avoids both. It’s completely local—great for sensitive recordings—and runs on a one-time payment model that won’t bleed you dry. The UI feels lightweight but powerful, and the global dictation key makes it easy to integrate into your everyday workflow. If you’ve got enough RAM and don’t mind a slightly longer transcription time, the tradeoffs are well worth it.
Our favorite part: Local-only transcription means zero data ever leaves your computer, making MacWhisper an ideal choice for anyone dealing with private interviews, meetings, or research. Combine that with the pop-up meeting recorder and global dictation shortcut, and it quickly becomes one of the most seamless tools on your machine.
Pricing
Free tier: No cost. Transcribe audio using base models with core functionality.
Pro (one-time ~$65): Unlocks faster models, batch transcriptions, speaker recognition, system audio recording, cloud integrations, subtitle translation, and more.
Pro bundles: Purchase multiple pro licenses at a discount.
Deals or promotions
30% off for journalists, students, and non-profits by emailing support. Seven-day refund window if it doesn’t work for you.
What kind of AI tools are you most interested in? |
🔥 Rapid Fire
Researchers say the most popular tool for grading AIs unfairly favors Meta, Google, OpenAI
Meta launches a stand-alone AI app to compete with ChatGPT
Anthropic finds alarming ‘emerging trends’ in Claude misuse report
Satya Nadella says as much as 30% of Microsoft code is written by AI
Medicine’s over-generalization problem — and how AI might make things worse
Visa partners with AI giants to streamline online shopping
Microsoft’s new Phi 4 AI model rivals far larger systems
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📖 What We’re Reading
“AI agents are changing how we interact with technology, moving from passive tools to active participants that understand, reason, and act. As these systems become more powerful and common, thorough evaluation becomes even more important.
The field of agent evaluation will continue to evolve as agent capabilities grow, making ongoing research and refinement of these metrics essential for responsible development and deployment of AI agent technologies.”