LocallyAI

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AI that works when
the internet doesn’t.

Most AI tools are a subscription to someone else’s computer. A local system is the other way around: offline is the base state, and the internet is an option you switch on. Here is exactly where that line sits.

By Harry Ycas and Matt Hicks, co-founders · 31 August 2026

What runs entirely offline

  • Chat, with the quoted model roster resident on the machine and its delivered context limit tested before handover.
  • Document answers. Indexing, semantic search and cited answers across PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV and text.
  • Transcription and dictation. In the standard local configuration, approved recordings are converted and transcribed on the appliance.
  • Quoted tools and calculators after their agreed examples pass on the delivery machine.
  • Quoted scheduled jobs after their identity, access and output checks pass.
  • Local sign-in. The authentication controls named in the quote are tested on the office network before handover.

The six connected exceptions to check

The quote records which connected paths are enabled and what data each path can handle:

  • Web research — optional, and visible in the research plan before a run.
  • Updates — a temporary connection while an update is fetched and checked.
  • Integrations — mail and business systems exchange data for the workflow you enabled.
  • Remote support — a session you request and start, not a standing connection.
  • Off-site backup — only if chosen, with the destination, encryption and retention recorded.
  • Off-site fine-tuning — only when separately commissioned, under a written data scope.

Why this matters beyond privacy

Core work does not depend on an external outage window or provider queue. Local hardware still has capacity limits, which is why the final machine is tested with the buyer’s real workload. The cost guide compares the ownership model with per-seat subscriptions.

The fine print, honestly

Offline does not mean infallible — generated text still needs the checking the work normally requires. And a question that genuinely needs today’s web needs the web switch on. The privacy boundary page states every path in and out.

Book a 20-minute walkthrough — we can run it with the network cable out.

Questions

Offline, in practice

Does it need the internet to be set up?

The machine arrives configured: accounts, models, packs and templates are installed before the visit. Applying a later Harness update needs a temporary connection while files are fetched and checked; it is closed again when the work is done.

Do the models get worse offline?

No. The models run identically with or without a connection — they are files on the machine, not services being reached. They also do not learn from your use either way; a model changes only through a recorded update.

Can it still search the web?

Yes, when you choose to allow it. Web research is a named exception to the offline base, switched on per install and visible in the research plan before a run starts.

What happens in an internet outage?

Core chat, approved document search and transcription keep working. Quoted tools and scheduled workflows also run locally after they pass acceptance testing. Mail integrations, web research and other connected services wait for the connection.