Creating a Local AI-Powered Browser Assistant with Brave's Leo and Ollama

Integrating Brave's Leo AI with local Large Language Models (LLMs) using Ollama significantly enhances your browser experience by offering a privacy-focused and efficient AI assistant. This setup ensures that your data remains securely on your device, providing faster responses without the need for external servers.

Prerequisites:

• Brave Browser: Ensure you have the latest version of the Brave browser installed.

• Ollama: A platform that facilitates running LLMs locally on your machine.

Step 1: Install Ollama

1. Download and Install:

   • Visit the Ollama website and download the installer suitable for your operating system.

   • Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

2. Verify Installation:

   • Open your terminal or command prompt.

   • Type ollama and press Enter. If installed correctly, you'll see the Ollama command-line interface (CLI) options.

Step 2: Download a Local LLM Model

1. Choose a Model:

   • Ollama supports various models. For this guide, we'll use the Deepseek-r1:7b model.

2. Download the Model:

   • In the terminal, execute:

   •   Ollama pull Deepseek-r1:7b
     

   • This command will download the specified model to your local machine.

Step 3: Configure Brave's Leo AI to Use the Local Model

1. Access Leo Settings:

   • Open the Brave browser.

   • Navigate to Settings > Leo.

2. Enable 'Bring Your Own Model' (BYOM):

   • Scroll to the 'Bring your own model' section.

   • Toggle the feature to enable it.

3. Set Up the Local Model:

   • In the BYOM settings, input the necessary details to connect Leo to the Ollama-hosted model.

   • Ensure that the connection parameters match those provided by Ollama.

     

Step 4: Test the Integration

1. Interact with Leo:

   • Click on the Leo icon in the Brave browser.

   • Input a query or command to test the assistant.

2. Verify Functionality:

   • Ensure that Leo responds appropriately, indicating successful integration with the local LLM.

Benefits of This Integration:

• Enhanced Privacy: All data processing occurs locally, ensuring your information isn't transmitted to external servers.

• Improved Performance: Local processing can lead to faster response times compared to cloud-based solutions.

• Cost Efficiency: Eliminates the need for subscriptions to cloud AI services.

By following these steps, you've successfully integrated Brave's Leo AI with a local LLM using Ollama, creating a powerful, private, and efficient browser assistant tailored to your needs.