Desert Ant Labs: local, fast models that run on device

Post by wredcoll » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:11 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #18

1dom wrote: post #10

This is a cool way of approaching AI models. I'm a big fan of local LLMs, local specific models like this should be even more powerful. > Every model is free up to 100k monthly active devices. No tokens, no logins. I dunno about the business model though. Cloud LLM billing makes sense: you're getting another computer to do work with each request, and using their compute via their gateway that they bill you. These loc…

> If I'm happy with the weights you've given me, and I'm not using your compute for inference and not wanting or needing any updates off you, why should you continue getting money off me and my customers? Because they own the IP and they get to decide the terms of how it’s licensed. This is like a company taking open source software, saying they like the code the community has given them, and asking why they should c…

Post by ricardobeat » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:13 PM UTC

1dom wrote: post #10

This is a cool way of approaching AI models. I'm a big fan of local LLMs, local specific models like this should be even more powerful. > Every model is free up to 100k monthly active devices. No tokens, no logins. I dunno about the business model though. Cloud LLM billing makes sense: you're getting another computer to do work with each request, and using their compute via their gateway that they bill you. These loc…

Post by wredcoll » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:14 PM UTC

1dom wrote: post #56

chadash wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If I'm happy with the weights you've given me, and I'm not using your compute for inference and not wanting or needing any updates off you, why should you continue getting money off me and my customers? I definitely understand the appeal of the desire to “buy it once”, but I think there are a few issues: - almost no software is static. Look at a package like python Requests and even though it does the simplest thin…

I think the issues you're describing are all modern internet software issues. I'd guess you're possibly a bit younger than me, or maybe forgotten how software worked before about 2010. - All compiled software is static. New versions are released. I'm happy to pay for new versions/features if I want/need them. But if the version I have is working offline, it doesn't need security updates, and if it does what I need, i…

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:41 PM UTC

1dom wrote: post #62

handfuloflight wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Analogy doesn't apply to this case, as you are paying for the chair upfront but not paying for the model weights upfront.

The only reason my chair manufacturer would be entitled to the proceeds of my success whilst I was in their chair is if I hadn't already paid them for the work they put into making the chair for me. Even then, why would my success with their product have anything to do with how much they can charge me for their labour? What other things work like that outside of the modern tech world? Seriously, look around you, pick…

Post by pveugen » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:42 PM UTC

capevace wrote: post #54

pveugen wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OCR on steroids. Our Schemer model will soon be available (free form text to structured JSON). Once that lands, we want to jump into image to JSON.

But Schemer will be text-only, correct? Once image support drops this could be a cool addition to https://struktur.sh . Will it be on OpenRouter too or will all inference have to be self-managed? I’m thinking about server-side use cases, where budgets are low, so small models shine. edit: ah I saw mainly iOS for now. But an integration would be possible on macOS then, right?