---
title: About Jan
---

Jan is a free, open source alternative to OpenAI's platform that runs on your personal computer. 

We believe in the need for an open source AI ecosystem, and are building the infra and tooling to allow open source AIs to be as usable and comprehensive as proprietary ones.

Jan's long-term vision is to build a cognitive framework for future robots. We build towards a future where humans and businesses are augmented by practical, useful assistants in everyday life. 

## Why does Jan Exist?

### Mission

Our mission is to allow humans and businesses to own their AI, with the right to tinker, repair and innovate. 

### Ideal Customer

Our ideal customer is an AI enthusiast or business who has experienced some limitations with OpenAI, and is keen to find open source alternatives. 

### Problems

Our ideal customer would use Jan to solve one of these problems. 

*Control*
- Control (e.g. preventing vendor lock-in)
- Stability (e.g. runs predictably every time)
- Local-use (e.g. for speed, or for airgapped environments)
 
*Privacy*
- Data protection (e.g. personal data or company data)
- Privacy (e.g. nsfw) 

*Customizability*
- Tinkerability (e.g. ability to change model, experiment)
- Niche Models (e.g. fine-tuned, domain-specific models that outperform OpenAI)

Sources: [^1] [^2] [^3] [^4]

[^1]: [What are you guys doing that can't be done with ChatGPT?](https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/17mghqr/comment/k7ksti6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
[^2]: [What's your main interest in running a local LLM instead of an existing API?](https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/1718a9o/whats_your_main_interest_in_running_a_local_llm/)
[^3]: [Ask HN: What's the best self-hosted/local alternative to GPT-4?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36138224) 
[^4]: [LoRAs](https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/17mghqr/comment/k7mdz1i/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)

### Solution

Jan is a seamless user experience that runs on your personal computer, that glues the different pieces of the open source AI ecosystem to provide an alternative to OpenAI's closed platform. 

- We build a comprehensive, seamless platform that takes care of the technical chores across the stack required to run open source AI
- We run on top of a local folder of non-proprietary files, that anyone can tinker with (yes, even other apps!) 
- We provide open formats for packaging and distributing AI to run reproducibly across devices

## How Jan Works

### Open Source

Jan is a startup with an open source business model. We believe in the need for an open source AI ecosystem, and are committed to building it. 

- [Jan: a Personal AI](https://github.com/janhq/jan) (AGPLv3)
- [Nitro: run Local AI](https://github.com/janhq/nitro) (AGPLv3)

### Build in Public

We use Github to build in public, and welcome anyone to join in.  

- [Jan's Kanban](https://github.com/orgs/janhq/projects/5)
- [Jan's Roadmap](https://github.com/orgs/janhq/projects/5/views/2)

### Bootstrapped

Jan is currently a bootstrapped startup. We balance technical invention with the search for a sustainable business model. 

We appreciate any business that can balance growth with cashflow/profitability. 

### Remote Team

Jan has a fully-remote team. We are mainly based in the Asia timezone. We use [Discord](https://discord.gg/af6SaTdzpx) and [Github](https://github.com/janhq) to work. 

## Contact

### General Enquiries

Drop us a message in our [Discord](https://discord.gg/af6SaTdzpx) and we'll get back to you.

- `#general`: for general discussion
- `#jan-dev`: for Jan-related questions
- `#nitro-dev`: for Nitro-related questions

### Careers

Jan has a culture of ownership, independent thought, and lightning fast execution. If you'd like to join us, we have open positions on our [careers page](https://janai.bamboohr.com/careers).   
