Get Out of the Cloud – Set Up, Understand, and Choose Your Own Local Language Models

When you use AI, you’re not just paying with money—you’re also paying with your data, your dependence, and a loss of control. Licensing models can change overnight, terms of service lack transparency, and sensitive data ends up on the servers of large U.S. corporations. Yet powerful alternatives have long been available that run locally under your control.

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll set up your own AI server on your laptop using Ollama and Open WebUI. You’ll not only learn the technical aspects but also develop a real sense of what you actually need from an AI system.

After all, not every task requires the latest high-performance model: Sometimes a lean open-source model running on older hardware does exactly what’s needed—faster, cheaper, and without any data privacy risks.

Instead of blindly trusting black-box systems, you’ll gain a genuine understanding through hands-on experience. You’ll decide for yourself which provider, model size, and performance level you need, creating a self-directed learning environment with AI that’s truly your own.