Open Weights
Definition
A model whose trained internals, the weights, have been released publicly, so anyone can download and run it themselves. Meta's Llama models are a well-known example. It's not quite the same as fully open source, because the recipe and data used to build the model aren't always shared. But open weights let people run capable AI on their own machines, without sending anything to a company's servers.
Why It Matters
It's central to the debate over who controls AI, and it's what makes private, run-it-yourself AI possible. Useful to know if privacy is one of your concerns.
What does that look like in practice?
You download an open-weights model like Llama and run it on your own laptop, with nothing sent to anyone's servers.
What people actually mean when they say this
When someone calls a model 'open,' they often mean open weights: you can download and run it, even if the full recipe stays private.
Not to be confused with
Last reviewed: June 2026
Related reading
In the Privacy Decoder
- DeepSeekA capable, low-cost Chinese AI assistant, strong at reasoning and coding. It made waves by matching far more expensive models.High
- Hermes AgentAn open-source personal AI agent that runs on your own computer, remembers your projects over time, and reaches you through messaging apps. A close cousin of OpenClaw.Low
- KimiA Chinese AI assistant from Moonshot AI, known for handling very long documents and for strong coding and research.High
- LM StudioA friendly desktop app for downloading and running AI models entirely on your own computer. It looks like a normal chat app, but everything runs offline.Low
In the AI Lineup
- GemmaGoogle's free, open model family. The small, downloadable cousin of Gemini, made to run on your own hardware.
- Hermes AgentAn open-source personal agent that lives on your computer, remembers your work, and reaches you through Telegram, Discord, or Slack.
- llama.cppThe lean open-source engine that quietly runs AI models on ordinary computers. Powerful, free, and not for the faint-hearted.
- oMLXA newer way to run AI models fast on Apple Silicon Macs, built to make the most of Mac hardware. Mac-only, and still early.
See also
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