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Ask HN: Is there a market for LLM-powered local programs instead of SaaS?

1 points by amunozo ↗ HN
I'm developing several LLM-powered tools for a friend who manages a social media account to streamline his workflow. Initially, I used the OpenAI API, but I believe some tasks could be handled by local models. Since these tools could be useful to others, I'm considering creating a SaaS offering. However, as I also plan to develop a local version, I’m unsure whether to commercialize it as a SaaS product or as a traditional software program that runs locally.

6 comments

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haebom
It is in demand by military installations and public organizations that value closed networks and security. In fact, I'm running a company that will be installing a local LLM on-premise in 2024, and we're currently working on a B2G contract.
amunozo
What about consumer applications where privacy is not that much needed? What I mean is if there is any demmand for a traditional, pay-once software.
JohnFen
The only way I'd consider using any AI-involved system is if it's all local. SaaS is a dealbreaker for me on this.

I don't think that helps you, though, since (like most of the people on HN) I am not representative of the general public.

haebom
I don't think it's worth it for personal use, and the reason is simple. There are already a lot of tools that can write local LLMs, so I don't think I'd be able to get users to pay for just using the model, I'd have to provide functionality, like automating certain behaviors.
JohnFen
> I’m unsure whether to commercialize it as a SaaS product or as a traditional software program that runs locally.

Why not both?

amunozo
I thought about that too! In the end, I'll probably do them both anyway.