Getting Started with Open Source AI
Take control of your AI stack with open source models. This path covers running LLMs locally, comparing open and closed models, fine-tuning for your use case, GPU requirements, and deploying open source AI in production.
What You'll Learn
- Understand the open source AI ecosystem and major models
- Compare open source vs closed AI models for different use cases
- Run LLMs locally on your own hardware
- Fine-tune open source models for specific tasks
- Understand GPU and hardware requirements for local AI
- Deploy open source models in production environments
- Navigate open source AI licenses and legal considerations
Course Lessons
The Open Source AI Ecosystem
18 min readMap the open source AI landscape — Llama, Mistral, Phi, Gemma, Stable Diffusion, and the communities and platforms driving open AI forward.
Read lesson →Open vs Closed AI Models: When to Use Each
18 min readCompare open and closed models on quality, cost, privacy, customization, and latency — and build a decision framework for your needs.
Read lesson →Running LLMs Locally
22 min readSet up local AI inference with Ollama, llama.cpp, LM Studio, and other tools — step by step from download to first query.
Hardware and GPU Requirements
18 min readUnderstand GPU, VRAM, CPU, and RAM requirements for running different model sizes — from 7B parameter models to 70B+.
Read lesson →Fine-Tuning Open Source Models
25 min readLearn to fine-tune models for your specific use case — LoRA, QLoRA, dataset preparation, training pipelines, and evaluation.
AI Model Benchmarks and Evaluation
18 min readUnderstand how AI models are benchmarked and evaluated — MMLU, HumanEval, Arena ELO, and how to run your own evaluations.
Read lesson →Deploying Open Source AI in Production
20 min readTake open source models to production — serving frameworks, scaling, API design, monitoring, and cost optimization.
Related Learning Paths
Put Your Learning into Practice
Vincony brings 400+ AI models, Compare Chat, Debate Arena, SEO Studio, Voice Studio, Image Generator, and 20+ more tools into a single platform. Apply what you've learned — start free with 100 credits per month.