Openly available models, such as the Llama, Mistral, and Gemma families, can be downloaded and run on a workstation or server with enough memory, ideally with a capable graphics card. Ollama is an open-source tool that downloads and runs these models and exposes them through a local API. Open WebUI is an open-source, self-hosted chat interface that connects to Ollama, giving staff a familiar chat window in the browser.
The main reason to run a model locally is control over data. Prompts, client files, and outputs are processed on your own equipment and are not sent to a third party, which can simplify confidentiality and data residency questions for legal, medical, and financial work. Costs also take a different shape: hardware and electricity instead of per-use fees.
Models small enough to run on modest hardware are generally less capable than the largest cloud models, and responses can be slow without a suitable graphics card. Running it yourself means you own the updates, access control, backups, and security of that server. Local does not automatically mean secure. Test with real tasks before buying hardware. We set up private AI using Ollama and Open WebUI on machines the client controls.