Learning to use local AI is exciting, overwhelming, and frustrating

<figure> <img alt="An Asus TUF A14 laptop running Hermes Agent local AI and sitting on a child’s table full of toys." data-caption="Baby’s first local AI agent. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge" data-portal-copyright="Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/100926_Asus_TUF_A14_Hermes_local_AI_ADiBenedetto_0001.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> Baby’s first local AI agent. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge </figcaption> </figure> <p class="has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph">I'm embarking on a journey I've so far been hesitant to go on: actually using AI on the regular. Giving my most personal data to cloud services has been a major hold up for me, but it's increasingly possible to run powerful models locally to see what they're capable of. Is this tech so useful that it's worth throwing gobs of money at a computer or a laptop with lots of overpriced RAM? I'll try to help you find out. I'm not an AI expert, it's going to be a journey for me, but maybe I can help you see if that journey is worth taking - and I'll be posting my way through it.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">A big part of Apple's pitch for its new Mac desktops is how good they …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1008484/learning-local-ai-hermes-qwen-model-mac-studio-testing-diary-progress">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>