A beginner's guide to Ollama

Imagine having a super-powered brain that can write different kinds of creative text formats, translate languages, and answer your questions in an informative way. That’s the basic idea behind Large Language Models (LLMs), and Ollama is a tool that lets you run these powerful LLMs on your own computer!

What are Large Language Models (LLMs)?

Think of an LLM as a super-fast learner that has been trained on massive amounts of text data. This data could be anything from books and articles to code and even social media conversations. By chomping through all this information, LLMs become really good at understanding and responding to language.

How does Ollama work?

Normally, LLMs are too complex to run on a regular computer. But Ollama makes things easier by providing a user-friendly platform specifically designed for LLMs. It’s like having a special program that both understands these brainy models and streamlines how you interact with them.

LLMs are pretty powerful, so your computer needs a bit of muscle to run them smoothly. Generally, you’ll need a decent amount of RAM (16GB or more is recommended) and a good graphics card. Ollama’s website has more detailed information on specific requirements for different LLMs.

Ollama’s Flexibility

Ollama stands out by giving you flexibility in how you use LLMs.

Run LLMs from Different Sources: Ollama lets you use LLMs from providers like Hugging Face, Mosaic ML, and more. This means you’re not tied to one specific LLM library.
Work with Local Files: If you have your own custom-trained LLM file, Ollama lets you load and use it. This is great for specialized situations or research.

Getting started with Ollama

Head over to the Ollama website: https://ollama.com/.
Choose your system: Ollama works on different computer systems (Windows, macOS, and Linux).
Select the appropriate download option for your setup.
Most users can install Ollama with a single command. You’ll find this command on the Ollama download page – simply copy and paste it into your computer’s terminal. To run and chat with Llama 2: ollama run llama2
Once you’ve downloaded and installed Ollama, you’ll be able to access a library of pre-trained LLMs.
Let’s Chat! Pick an LLM that interests you and start a conversation. You can ask questions, give it writing prompts, or just have fun seeing what it can do!

Customize a prompt

Models from the Ollama library can be customized with a prompt. For example, to customize the llama2 model:

ollama pull llama2

Create a Modelfile:

FROM llama2

# set the temperature to 1 [higher is more creative, lower is more coherent]
PARAMETER temperature 1

# set the system message
SYSTEM """
You are superhero Superman. Answer as Superman, the assistant, only.
"""

Create and run the model:

ollama create superman -f ./Modelfile
ollama run superman
>>> hi
Hello! It's Superman!

For more information see documentation.

What can you do with LLMs?

LLMs open up a world of possibilities, here’s a deeper look:

Creative Expression Unleashed: LLMs can help you write poems, stories, scripts, or even different kinds of code. They can be your brainstorming buddy, a co-author, or a tool to overcome writer’s block.
Breaking Language Barriers: Translate between a huge range of languages with impressive accuracy. LLMs can help you communicate with a wider audience, understand content from all over the world, or even learn a new language.
Your Personal Research Assistant: LLMs can sift through vast amounts of information much faster than you can with traditional searching. Ask complex questions and get well-structured summaries, insights, and even leads on where to find further details.
Coding Help: LLMs trained on code can assist with programming tasks. They can help you write functions, find errors, explain concepts, or even generate entire blocks of code based on your instructions.
And Much More: LLMs are constantly evolving. New and innovative uses include customer service chatbots, creating marketing materials, generating product descriptions… the list keeps growing!

LLMs are still under development, so their answers might not always be perfect. But they’re a powerful tool that can help you learn, create, and explore the world of language in new and exciting ways.

So, are you ready to unleash the power of LLMs on your own computer? Dive into Ollama and see what these super-powered brains can do!