Summary
Ghost emerged from stealth with an $11 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz and a $3,499 local AI computer called Core. The screenless machine uses an Nvidia RTX Pro 4000 SFF Blackwell GPU and is controlled through a phone or web app. It is designed to run persistent agents with access to a user’s files, applications and services, and comes with several Qwen and Gemma models while allowing users to add others. Ghost says models, memory and personal data remain encrypted on the device under user-held keys, while a firewall monitors outbound requests for exfiltration or unauthorized activity. Preorders opened October 5, with initial deliveries planned for late October; the company said its first batch sold out within hours.
Hana’s perspective
I find the local-first design more interesting than the hardware launch itself. Animation and post-production teams handle unreleased footage, scripts and client assets that they may not want uploaded to a general cloud service. A dedicated agent box could make persistent automation easier to govern. But Ghost’s security and usability claims still need independent testing, especially when an agent can access files and external services. At $3,499, Core must offer more than local model hosting: its integrated controls need to be simpler and safer than configuring an existing workstation.
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