This path is for you if the model has to run on a machine you control, with no monthly chat bill. No part is live on this page yet. Start with Run open models, which is the live path for a hosted chat, a desktop runner, and one local stack.
- 1 Why Run a Model Locally: Privacy, Cost, Offline, Learning Choose local inference for data boundary, offline, and learning. Choose cloud when quality and convenience win. Say where the prompt goes before you promise privacy. Scheduled · October 31, 2026
- 2 Local AI Hardware Reality Check: RAM, GPU, Apple Silicon, and Heat Size local hardware from model memory and bandwidth, not from brand stickers. Prefer enough unified or GPU memory, then worry about fancy cores. Scheduled · November 1, 2026
- 3 Quantization Without the Mysticism: GGUF, Bits, and Quality Tradeoffs Treat GGUF quantization tiers as memory-vs-quality dials. Prefer mid tiers for work you will cite, and test your own prompts before you standardize on the tiniest file. Scheduled · November 2, 2026
- 4 The Easiest Path: Ollama and One-Command Local AI Start local with Ollama: install, pull a sized tag, run, then automate with the local API. Pick models that fit RAM. Keep a verify step for anything that ships. Scheduled · November 3, 2026
- 5 LM Studio and Friendly GUIs from Zero Use LM Studio or a peer GUI when the audience needs buttons. Load a fitting model, set GPU offload and context deliberately, and use the local endpoint from your apps. Scheduled · November 4, 2026
- 6 llama.cpp: The Engine Under Many Local AI Apps Learn llama.cpp as the common local engine: mmap loads, GGML math, and a simple server. Many GUIs wrap it. Debug the wrapper before you blame the weights. Scheduled · November 5, 2026
- 7 First Useful Offline Tasks: Notes, Rewrite, Private Docs Use local models for offline notes cleanup, private contract extraction, and sensitive rewrites. Keep temperature low for facts, chunk long docs, and leave confidential text off cloud tabs. Scheduled · November 6, 2026
- 8 Keeping Models Updated Without Breaking Your Setup Treat local models like production software: pin tags, audit disk, version Modelfiles, and regression-test upgrades. Latest is a moving pointer, not a release. Scheduled · November 7, 2026
- 9 When Local is Worse Than a $20 Chat Subscription Keep local for confidential and routine text. Keep a frontier seat for hard reasoning and vision. Hybrid routing beats "everything local" dogma. Scheduled · November 8, 2026