Plain English
Open weights
A model whose files you can download and run on your own machine.
A model released so anyone can download its trained parameters (its “weights”) and run it on their own computer or server, instead of only through a company’s website or API. The license still sets what a business may do with it.
Why it matters
Your data can stay on your own machine, which helps with privacy, at the cost of setup and upkeep. Models small enough for a laptop are also less capable than the biggest cloud ones.
At work
A bookkeeping firm runs an open-weights model on an office computer to summarize client letters, so they never leave the building.
Think of it like getting the recipe instead of ordering the dish: more work, but the kitchen is yours.
Related terms
Where it appears