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Private AI on Your Own Computer

Module 3 — Private, Safe and Useful

Lesson 8: Looking After It, and When to Use the Cloud Instead

Last updated: 2026-10-09

A local set-up needs a little care: updates, disk space and the occasional new model. Finish with a simple plan for which jobs stay local and which go to the cloud, so you get privacy where it matters and capability where you need it.

Lesson 8: Looking After It, and When to Use the Cloud Instead

Blackboard

Local where it matters

10 min
Concept 1

Updates

Ollama, LM Studio and Jan release updates every few weeks: speed improvements, support for new models, security fixes. Keep the app updated from inside the app or the official site. If you run a local server that other programs use, read the release notes before updating, as defaults sometimes change.

Concept 2

Disk space and tidying

Each model is several gigabytes, and each app keeps its own copy. Every few months, list what you've downloaded and delete what you don't use. Keep one good everyday model, maybe one small fast one and one larger one for harder jobs.

Concept 3

New models

Better open models appear every few weeks. You don't need to chase them. Every quarter, re-run your three test tasks on one promising new model; switch only if it's clearly better on your work. Check the licence again if you use it for business.

Concept 4

Your hybrid plan

Write it down: private documents, client data and sensitive questions stay local; current events, hard reasoning and large creative jobs go to a cloud tool your workplace approves, with nothing confidential in them. Many people find this split gives them most of the benefit of both.

Pause and Think

Sort your typical AI tasks into two lists: ones involving private material, and ones that don't.

Flashcards

Key Terms

Click or press Enter to flip a card. Review these before the practice question.

Additional Resources
Practice Question

Which job is best sent to a cloud tool rather than a local model?

Does not count for certificate
Choose one answer, use the hint if needed, then check your answer.
Use the hint before checking if you need a nudge.