Nvidia’s ChatRTX could be your alternative to ChatGPT for reading long documents, and it doesn’t need an internet connection

More than two decades back, information was hard to come by and people had to visit libraries and consult books to research even the simplest of topics. Then, internet entered the scene and changed the way we look up information forever. Search engines like Google and Yahoo became the gateways to a whole new world and remain relevant till date. Now, we are sitting on the brink of yet another revolution- AI and chatbots.

OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022 and the world has been a different place since then. We can now get a summary of an important document in minutes, rewrite an article with a simple prompt, get information on various topics and whatnot. Other AI chatbots like Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s CoPilot are also widely used by people. However, all of these chatbots have one requirement - the internet. But what if we tell you that there is an alternative that doesn’t require an internet connection and can help summarise those lengthy documents within seconds?

Say hello to Nvidia’s ChatRTX, the generative AI chatbot designed to run entirely offline. This free to download application brings the power of large language models (LLMs) directly to users' PCs, providing quick, private, and customisable AI assistance.

Nvidia’s ChatRTX runs offline

I had the opportunity to attend Nvidia’s demo session for ChatRTX in Bengaluru last week and it left me impressed with the technology's potential to transform how we interact with data, especially when it comes to working with large documents. At its core, ChatRTX harnesses the capabilities of Nvidia’s RTX GPUs to deliver fast, efficient, and private chatbot experiences.

During the demo, I also asked about the chatbot’s tendency to hallucinate, if any. Major AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini and CoPilot have often made headlines for hallucinating and landing people in trouble. However, since ChatRTX runs entirely offline and responds to questions on the basis of the documents that you upload, the tendency to hallucinate is almost non-existent.

ChatRTX can also work with a wide array of file formats. Whether you need to extract key details from a PDF, sort through a collection of Word documents, or even sift through images, the AI chatbot can do it all. You need to simply point the application at the folder containing your files, and within seconds, it loads them into a searchable library. The chatbot can then provide contextually relevant answers based on your local content.

For professionals who handle complex documents, such as legal contracts or lengthy reports, this feature could be a game-changer. Instead of manually combing through documents, you can ask ChatRTX to pull out key information, saving hours of tedious work.

Another standout feature is the video transcript search. ChatRTX allows users to find specific moments in YouTube videos by simply asking it to search through the video’s transcript. This functionality can be particularly useful for researchers or content creators who need to reference exact moments in long-form video content.

Your privacy concerns addressed

One of the most significant concerns with cloud-based AI services is privacy. Chatbots that operate in the cloud often require users to send their data to third-party servers for processing. With ChatRTX, however, Nvidia says that everything is processed locally on your PC. This offline nature thus promises that your personal data stays secure, and you never have to worry about sensitive information being exposed to outside servers.

Personalised experience

What makes ChatRTX truly unique is its ability to personalise responses based on the specific files or datasets you upload. Leveraging retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and TensorRT-LLM software, the chatbot can search through your notes, documents, and other saved content to provide accurate and context-driven answers.

Imagine having a chatbot that not only understands general information but also knows your personal library of files. For instance, if you're preparing for a business meeting and need quick access to previous notes or references, ChatRTX can pull up the exact details you need without the hassle of manually searching through old files. You could ask, “What was the key takeaway from my meeting notes last month?” and ChatRTX would instantly retrieve the relevant information.

Who can use ChatRTX?

ChatRTX is a free tool that can be downloaded by all. However, it needs a powerful Nvidia RTX GPU (30 series or higher with at least 8GB of VRAM), which means users will need capable hardware to fully utilise ChatRTX.