Local AI (On-Device)
Definition
Local AI means the model is running on a computer you own, not on a company's servers in some other building. You type a prompt; the answer is produced on that machine, so the words do not have to leave that machine. That is different from opening ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini in a browser, which sends the work to a data centre. It is also different from "the AI on my phone," which usually means a small helper plus a cloud model behind it. Capable local AI still needs unusually powerful hardware. Most household computers cannot do it well yet.
Why It Matters
Ads will sell "local AI" as if it were the next ordinary computer. It isn't — not for most kitchens. Knowing the phrase keeps a hardware pitch from sounding like a privacy guarantee you already have.
What does that look like in practice?
Your sister texts that Apple's new desktop is "for AI at home," so she figures ChatGPT already lives on her laptop. It doesn't. ChatGPT in a browser is still a conversation with a building full of chips she does not own. Local AI would mean a model actually installed on a machine in the house — usually one with a lot of memory — so the prompt can stay there. She does not need a new desktop to keep asking ChatGPT about the family reunion.
What people actually mean when they say this
People say "local AI" or "on-device" when they mean the work happens on hardware they own. Casually they also mean "the AI on my phone" or "Apple Intelligence," which is only partly on-device. Technically it is where the model runs, not whether an app icon sits on the home screen.
Not to be confused with
Last reviewed: August 2026
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