Shifting our messaging from Local AI to Self-Hosted AI

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Hi All,

In today’s dev call livestream Dave J. and I discussed shifting our messaging from BrainDrive being a Local AI platform, to BrainDrive being a self-hosted AI platform.

I’ve included a recording of this portion of our discussion, along with an AI powered overview of that discussion below.

Questions, comments, concerns, and ideas welcome as always. Just hit the reply button.

Thanks,
Dave W.

In this conversation, we explore a key idea at the heart of BrainDrive: “self-hosting” is about ownership—not location.

There’s a growing “local AI” movement, but what we’re building also belongs to something bigger: a cloud self-hosting movement rooted in the same values—ownership, control, and freedom—but grounded in reality.

:key: Key Takeaways

1. Self-Hosting = Ownership, Not Geography
Self-hosting doesn’t have to mean “on your laptop at home.” It means you control the system, whether it lives locally, in the cloud, or across both.

2. Cloud Doesn’t Have to Mean Lock-In
It’s fine to use the cloud—what matters is avoiding lock-in. For example:

  • Use OpenAI for inference if needed, but don’t use their embedding models if you want portability.
  • Host your BrainDrive interface in the cloud while using a mix of closed and open-source backends.
  • Stay flexible. Own your system architecture.

3. Most People Can’t Run Serious Models Locally
Let’s be honest—your average laptop can’t run a 70B model. To run serious inference or RAG workflows, you’ll need cloud GPUs, at least some of the time. That’s not failure—that’s just being smart about trade-offs.

4. Local-Only Isn’t Realistic for Most Owners
Even those leading the local AI movement are often running hybrid systems. You can do the same—without giving up control.

5. What We’re Advocating For
We believe in a “No Lock-In Cloud Self-Hosting” approach:

  • Host what you want, where you want
  • Swap in/out components (UI, models, DBs)
  • Retain full ownership of your data, system, and stack

:compass: Why This Matters

Just like WordPress lets you build your site your way (locally or in the cloud), BrainDrive is doing the same for AI. We’re not just building a product—we’re building a movement.

Whether you’re a hobbyist, developer, or entrepreneur:
You deserve to own your AI system, not rent it from Big Tech.

:brain: Your AI. Your Rules.
Let’s make cloud self-hosting the next frontier for personal AI ownership.