A new AI assistant, Ask Proxy, offers a text message-based interface that requires no app, login, or prompt engineering, making AI accessible to older adults and those hesitant to use traditional chatbots.
Ask Proxy is trying to solve one of the biggest barriers to consumer AI: not the model, but the interface. The service works entirely through text messages, so there is no app to install, no new account screen to learn and no prompt engineering to master. For users who are curious about AI but do not want to navigate a chatbot interface, that simplicity is the product.
Tom’s Guide said the service launched on 4 August and can be started by saving a dedicated number and sending a simple message. Set-up, according to the review, takes less than 20 minutes and includes questions about interests, preferences and decision-making style, with calendar access optional. That positioning makes the product especially relevant for older adults, including people who are less likely to spend time inside conventional AI apps.
In practice, Ask Proxy aims to function much like an always-available text contact. The assistant can help with everyday tasks such as gift ideas, trip planning and meal suggestions, and it accepts photos and voice notes as well as written messages. Tom’s Guide also noted that the system can use what it learns about a user to make recommendations more relevant over time.
A more distinctive feature is that Proxy may text first. The company says the assistant uses saved preferences, calendar data if connected and other personal context to anticipate needs, whether that means flagging an upcoming birthday, nudging someone to book a restaurant or suggesting holiday planning before diaries fill up. That makes it closer to a proactive organiser than a reactive chatbot.
The broader market is beginning to explore similar low-friction formats. Sidekicks offers an AI assistant through iMessage and SMS, while Ask Malia also leans on text-first access with no app downloads or logins. Ask Lee integrates with messaging platforms and links to productivity tools, and Ask Milo goes in a different direction with voice, Siri and CarPlay support. Together, these services point to a clear design trend: AI is moving towards familiar channels rather than asking users to adapt to new ones.
Privacy, however, remains the central trade-off. Ask Proxy says it does not sell or share personal data, does not serve ads, does not use conversations to train public models and does not rely on human message review. Even so, as Tom’s Guide observed, users should still avoid sending sensitive medical, financial or identity information through a text-based assistant. The company’s assurances may ease concern, but they do not remove the need for judgement.
There are also practical limits. Tom’s Guide found that responses are not always instant, sometimes arriving after a short delay rather than in the seconds many users expect from mainstream chatbots. And like any AI system, Proxy can be confidently wrong. That matters most in areas such as health, finance and care decisions, where a human professional should still be involved.
The service includes 15 free messages, after which unlimited use costs $29 a month. That places it in the same broad price range as premium AI subscriptions such as ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro, but the value proposition is different. Proxy is not competing mainly on model power. It is selling convenience, familiarity and a lower barrier to entry.
For people already comfortable using ChatGPT, the appeal may be limited. For anyone who has wanted to try AI but has been put off by apps, prompts and setup, a regular text thread may be the simplest place to begin. According to Tom’s Guide, that may be the point: less technology to learn, and more help that arrives where people already are.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
