Data, privacy & security

Open weights vs cloud AI

Running a model yourself versus using one over the internet: the trade-offs.

5 min readPlain English

Read it in

In one sentence

Cloud AI runs on a provider’s computers; an open-weights model runs on a machine you control, so your text stays with you but the upkeep is yours.

Think of it like…

Cloud AI is eating at a good restaurant: a skilled chef, no dishes to wash, but your order goes to their kitchen. Open weights is getting the recipe and cooking at home: more effort, a simpler menu, and nothing leaves your house.

How it works

With cloud AI, your prompt travels to the provider, the model runs there and the reply comes back. With open weights, the whole trip happens on a machine you control. Getting there takes five steps.

1Pick a modelChoose an open-weights model sized for your hardware. Smaller ones run on a well-equipped laptop; bigger ones need a powerful desktop or a server.
2Check the licenseOpen weights doesn’t always mean free for any use. The license says what a business may do with it.
3Download and runA free desktop app downloads the model and gives you a chat window much like the ones you know.
4Keep it localYour prompts and files stay on that machine, and it works without an internet connection. Some of these apps also offer cloud-run models, so check the one you pick runs locally.
5Look after itUpdates, security and backups are your job. The upside: the model only changes when you change it.

There’s a middle ground: some cloud services host open-weights models for you. Then your text goes to that host, under its terms.

Good at

Keeping sensitive text on a machine you control
Working offline, with no per-use bill
Staying exactly the same until you choose to update

Bad at

Matching the biggest cloud models on hard tasks
Running itself: someone has to own the setup
Team extras like sharing, admin controls and connected apps

Where you’ll see it at work

Client letters at a bookkeeping firm. A small model on one office computer summarizes client letters, so nothing leaves the building. A person still checks every summary.
Site reports with no signal. A surveyor drafts reports on a laptop at rural sites, then reviews them back at the office.
Everyday marketing. A design studio sticks with a cloud assistant for campaign ideas and web copy: nothing sensitive, and a bigger model writes better.

Myth vs reality

Myth: “Open weights means open source, so it’s free to use however you like.”

Reality: Open weights means you can download the trained model. The training data and code often aren’t released, and the license may limit commercial use. Read it before you build on it.