Your Laptop Is Already More Powerful Than OpenAI Was Two Years Ago
In just a few minutes, you can run a personal AI entirely on your own laptop, and instantly go from AI User to AI Expert
Last week, I was on a 5 hour flight with no WiFi, and I still managed to debug a software project, analyze a sensitive pitch deck, and workshop some pretty crazy ideas for positioning one of our portfolio companies—all using AI running entirely on my laptop. No internet. No sensitive data shared with a third party. No running into usage limits or buying expensive credits.
Here's the thing that should blow your mind: your little laptop is carrying around more AI capability than existed just a few years ago. And most people have absolutely no idea how to tap into it, or why they should. Let’s fix that.
Running your own AI locally isn't just a nerdy side project. In my experience, it is one the single most empowering steps anyone can take in our AI-transformed world. Let me show you why, and also, how. Heads up: the “how” is ridiculously easy.
Why Running Your Own AI is… Pretty Awesome
It's always on, unlimited, and completely free. Once installed, the AI runs purely on your hardware. No WiFi needed, no OpenAI outages, no hitting usage caps right when you're in the flow. I've analyzed Excels at 35,000 feet and continued brainstorming product ideas during power outages (thanks for keeping me grounded, PG&E). Your laptop becomes an uninterruptable 24/7 AI provider.
Complete privacy for sensitive work. Nothing you type ever leaves your machine. Sure, at this point, we can trust OpenAI with most things (just imagine what they “see” on a daily basis and realize your thing probably just isn’t that important), but try workshopping brutal feedback about a co-founder, analyzing personal financial data, or debugging proprietary algorithms you’re just not comfortable putting “out there.” Or many have corporate policies that still discourage using AI for certain things, and we’re just “not sure if this document is that.” We’re human, and those (sometimes irrational) emotions matter, so there's something very liberating about knowing your thoughts stay locked in your own hardware.
You join the AI “cool kids” club. This is the part that gets me most excited: every breakthrough that cost billions to develop gets packaged and released for free within months. Meta's Llama, Google's Gemma, Microsoft's Phi—you're benefiting from the largest R&D investments in human history, running on the same laptop you use for email.
But here's the deeper transformation: everyone who installs AI on their own computer automatically gains massive confidence and fluency in this technological shift. You’re going to have to trust me on this. It stops being mysterious "AI magic" and becomes what it really is—sophisticated math that you can understand, control, and direct.
The 5-Minute Setup Forever Changing Your Relationship With AI
I said this was empowering, and it’s also just about instant. Plan for about 10 minutes of setup time (a few clicks then waiting for downloads), but the payoff lasts basically forever.
Step 1: There’s lots of tools but my preferred one is the 100% free LM Studio which works on both PC and Mac. Get it from here:
Step 2: Install and launch. It'll automagically scan your hardware and suggest compatible models- the most capable AI that can run on your machine without the fans coming on. I personally love the Gemma models that Google publishes… the number before the “B” (as in Gemma-3-8B or Gemma-3-12B) indicates how “strong” it is. For a beefier and current Macbook, for example, I prefer Google’s Gemma-3-12B which even supports processing images (!).
Step 3: LM Studio will download the model (this can be a 10-15 minute wait—these are multi-gigabyte files containing almost the entirety of documented human knowledge on the internet, no big deal).
Step 4: You’ve done it. Start chatting. Upload images, analyze documents, code together—it's surprisingly capable, and fairly quick.
What You're Actually Getting
These local models are impressive but let's be realistic: they're typically 6-12 months behind the commercial cutting edge. They handle images but not voice, can't browse the web, and are limited by your hardware. You'll notice more occasional errors or "hallucinations"—though honestly, that's true of all AI.
But here's what might surprise you: for many tasks, they're completely sufficient. Code review, writing assistance, data analysis, brainstorming—I often prefer my local AI because there's no friction, no loading screens, no "try again later" messages.
So, please set your expectations correctly - it’s NOT the same as using the most current insane fighter jet that is ChatGPT, but… most of us can get to work in an Accord about as fast as we can in a Ferrari (Note: I promise I’m not using AI to make these metaphors, but now whenever I make one, I’m paranoid I sound like one…)
The Bigger Picture
By installing some software, and chatting on your laptop with perhaps the greatest technological innovation of our time, you’re directly participating in the AI world in a way that so few others are. The same AI capabilities that were exclusive to major tech companies 12-18 months ago now run on consumer laptops.
on who takes this step automatically becomes more literate, more confident, and morfor our AI-integrated future. You stop being a passive consumer of AI services and become someone who understands the technology shaping our world. There’s not a dinner party conversation you should sit out of. There’s not an AI opportunity at work you should defer to “those people that get it.” You are now those people.
Coming next: How to generate professional-quality images on your laptop (and yes, we're getting close to video too...).
Thank you.