Show HN: I made an app to use local AI as daily driver (recurse.chat)

Article summary

The article presents a Mac app that utilizes local AI, allowing users to chat with AI models like Claude and ChatGPT offline, without requiring a subscription or internet connection. The app supports various features, including a floating chat interface and the ability to chat with local files. It also allows users to import their ChatGPT history and continue conversations with local AI. The app is available for a one-time purchase with no data collection.

Main themes

• Local AI
• Offline AI models
• Private AI solutions
• AI chat interfaces
• Decentralized AI

What commenters say

• Some users appreciate the app's focus on local AI but would like to see the addition of online models for more capabilities.
• The importance of system prompts in getting useful output from LLMs is debated, with some finding them essential and others not using them at all.
• There is a concern about the app's privacy, with some questioning how to guarantee its privacy and security, especially considering the need for App Store entitlement verification.
• The shift to local and decentralized AI is seen as crucial by some, who argue that relying on centralized AI services poses significant risks to user data and security.
• Others are skeptical about the capabilities of local AI models compared to cloud-based models like GPT-4, citing performance differences.
• There is interest in integrating the app with personal data sources, such as local documents and browser history, to enhance its functionality.
• Some users suggest that the app's potential lies in its ability to specialize and train itself on a user's personal data, even if it requires longer processing times.
• The challenge of accessing personal data stored in the cloud, such as emails, due to API restrictions and costs, is seen as a significant hurdle for the app's development.