Software update: Nextcloud 27.0.0

Version 27 of Nextcloud, or Nextcloud Hub 5, has been released. With Nextcloud it is possible to run cloud storage in-house. It was created as a fork of ownCloud after a large number of developers left there due to a conflict. All components, including the enterprise functionality, are offered as open source and the revenue model is similar to what Red Hat does, namely providing paid support to large customers. In version 27 we find integration with artificial intelligence, among other things. The complete release notes are here to find. This is part of it:

1st self-hosted AI-powered digital workspace

The recent developments in AI show a huge promise to boost our productivity. Yet companies and governments all over the globe are worried about the risks, many blocking the use of these tools by their employees or looking into strict rules around it. Risk of data leaks, fake news and copyright infringements pose a real challenge. Nextcloud is the first to offer an AI-integrated digital workspace that can run on your own server and give transparency about training model and data through our Ethical AI initiative.

AI features and integrations

Our AI features are easy to use. Many work with our Smart Picker which is seamlessly integrated into all major apps. They’re accessible through the menu or by the click of a slash (/). And the best part: the AI ​​features run on your server, not leaking any data to a third party! The new AI features are optional and can be installed from the app store. We updated and improved existing AI features and added some new ones. A quick list:

• Smart Inbox in Mail and Related Resources
• Face and object recognition in Nextcloud Photos
• Background images in addition to background blurring in Nextcloud Talk
• Image generation based on a prompt
• Translation with Nextcloud Translate, integrated in Nextcloud Talk and Nextcloud Text to translate your chat messages and text documents
• Nextcloud Dictation for voice recognition integrated across Nextcloud Hub
• Call transcripts or recorded video calls

These integrations are running entirely on the Nextcloud server and are completely optional. We continue to develop on-premises alternatives for other AI features, with further updates expected later this year.

For those looking to use external, online AI services, you can install apps from our app store that offer optional translation through Deepl and ChatGPT, DALL-E for image generation and ChatGPT for text generation.Note: All AI features are optional and can be installed or not just like any other app.If you’d like to learn more about our ethical standards around dealing with AI features, check out our blog on our Ethical AI initiative.