alt Hacker NewsThe inflation-adjusted cost for getting one of the early personal computers to do some BASIC programming was probably a lot higher than $5k today, and you could still go cheaper. Local AI is still (expensive) hobby territory. A capable local AI machine runs for about as much as a good mountainbike.
And in many regions, you'll be adding significantly to your electricity bill to run it. It's not just the initial outlay for the hardware.