The year 2025 has been remarkable for open and local AI enthusiasts, with significant advancements in local language models (LLMs) like Minimax M2.1 and GLM4.7, which are now approaching the performance of proprietary models. Enthusiasts are encouraged to share their favorite models and detailed experiences, including their setups, usage nature, and tools, to help evaluate these models' capabilities given the challenges of benchmarks and stochasticity. The discussion is organized by application categories such as general use, coding, creative writing, and specialties, with a focus on open-weight models. Participants are also advised to classify their recommendations based on model memory footprint, as using multiple models for different tasks is beneficial. This matters because it highlights the progress and potential of open-source LLMs, fostering a community-driven approach to AI development and application.
