Keeping It Local: Building an LLM in Your Own Key – BSidesSF 2026

SUBMITTED – Check back in November 2025 for confirmation of acceptance.

Ever wanted to conduct your own AI symphony? Large language models (LLMs) can do remarkable things, but not everyone is comfortable sending their data to the big-name headliners: Microsoft, OpenAI, or Anthropic. Fortunately, open-source tools let you compose and fine-tune a private, local LLM that performs on your own stage. From installation to optimization, this session walks you through each movement, with demos to keep everything in harmony. It’s time to build your own “mini-Jarvis” and make your data sing, securely, efficiently, and on your own terms.