The release of Llama-3 8B has changed the game for local AI. It's the first model small enough to run on consumer-grade hardware like the Raspberry Pi while being smart enough to actually handle complex tasks. In this guide, we'll set up a voice-activated interface that controls your lights and answers questions, all without an internet connection.
Install Raspberry Pi OS (Lite)
Flash your SD card with the 64-bit Lite version of the OS. We don't need a desktop environment as we'll be running everything via terminal to save RAM.
Install Ollama
Run the following command in your terminal to install the local LLM runner:
Load Llama-3
Pull the 8B parameter model. On a Pi 5, this will provide about 3-5 tokens per second—not lightning fast, but perfect for a voice assistant.
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Conclusion
By following these steps, you've taken back control of your digital privacy. This assistant doesn't listen to your conversations unless triggered, and your data never leaves your home. In the next part of this series, we'll look at fine-tuning Llama-3 for specific home automation tasks.