Run light-weight AI models entirely on your own device, without cloud, subscriptions, or internet access.
Local-AI is an open-source project that empowers users to run light-weight language models (LLMs) on their local devices with limited computing power. Whether you're working with an older CPU-based laptop or deploying in remote or rural areas with unreliable connectivity, Local-AI gives you full control over your data and models.
This project uses the following stack:
Ollama — to run and customize LLMs on macOS, Linux, and Windows
Open Web UI — a browser-based chat interface, offline and open-source
Docker — for simple and reproducible deployments
Run Offline — Works without internet access or cloud services
100% Private — Keeps all data on your device
Customizable — Fine-tune and personalize your own AI models
Free and Open Source — No subscriptions or vendor lock-in
Low Resource Compatible — Works on CPUs, no GPU required
Download Ollama from: https://ollama.com/download
Or use terminal
Ollama supports: Mac (M1/M2/M3 optimized) Linux Windows (via WSL)
ollama pull mistral ollama run mistral
This starts a local REPL (interactive terminal). Here, you can type your prompts and interact with the model.
Use Docker to run Open Web UI locally:
Use Docker to run Open Web UI locally:
Once running, access the interface at: http://localhost:3000
You can fine-tune models like Mistral or LLaMA with your own datasets to adapt them to specific tasks, languages, or community knowledge.
- Chatbots trained on regional or cultural knowledge (e.g., Swahili, Dholuo)
- Domain-specific assistants (e.g., legal, medical, farming)
- Q&A over PDFs, spreadsheets, or transcribed audio
- Creative writing, translation, or grammar correction
macOS/Linux/Windows
Docker (optional for GUI)
CPU with at least 8GB RAM is recommended
Terminal access
This project is released under the MIT License.
Pull requests, forks, and improvements are welcome! Fork the repo Add your Swahili/other-language dataset Train and test locally Submit a PR from your fork to the original repo
This project is built for users/communities that have: Limited access to reliable internet Concerns over data privacy and AI surveillance A need for localized, culturally-relevant AI tools
By supporting open-source LLMs on local devices, we reclaim control of our digital futures.