I’ve tried coding and every one I’ve tried fails unless really, really basic small functions like what you learn as a newbie compared to say 4o mini that can spit out more sensible stuff that works.
I’ve tried explanations and they just regurgitate sentences that can be irrelevant, wrong, or get stuck in a loop.
So. what can I actually use a small LLM for? Which ones? I ask because I have an old laptop and the GPU can’t really handle anything above 4B in a timely manner. 8B is about 1 t/s!
Learning/practice, and any use that feeds in sensitive data you want to keep on-prem.
Unless you’re set to retire within the next 5 years, the best reason is to keep your resume up to date with some hands-on experience. With the way they’re trying to shove AI into every possible application, there will be few (if any) industries untouched. If you don’t start now, you’re going to be playing catch up in a few years.