Is it really feasible to run it 100% locally? I know there's plenty of people with very powerful rigs indeed, but still.

There are small models you can run 100% locally on a mediocre computer or even a phone, and I mean you could be 100% offline and it will still work.

The better local models require a higher end gaming GPU or an ARM Mac with a decent amount of RAM, but nothing too extreme. You could get a computer to run them for about $2000 to $3000.

the software doesn't come from nowhere and ultimately still relies on gas-turbine-powered datacenters and stolen IP and stolen personal data, no?

The small local models typically start with a full infustrial-size model and then they “distill” it to smaller models. The concerns over training data are still valid. I’m not sure how much the concerns over power usage are about training vs running the full industrial size models commercially. Running a small local model uses a tiny fraction of the power it takes to run an industrial size model, and the training is a one-time cost (except these companies never stop training because they want to make next year’s model better and faster).

I do think it’s worth pointing out that running a model locally keeps your conversations with it private. Remember, it can be done 100% offline. So your data won’t be stolen.