Hybrid AI: Empowering On-Device Models with Cloud-Synced Skills

The landscape of Artificial Intelligence is shifting rapidly from purely cloud-based monoliths to hybrid architectures. Developers today face a critical choice: run models in the cloud for maximum power, or on-device for privacy and speed? With the recent updates to Firebase AI Logic, you no longer have to choose. You can have both.

In this post, we will explore how to implement hybrid on-device inference and take it a step further by introducing the concept of “AI Skills.” We will discuss how to architect a system where your local on-device models can dynamically learn new capabilities by syncing “skills” from the cloud.

1. The Foundation: Hybrid On-Device Inference

According to Firebase’s latest documentation, hybrid inference enables apps to attempt processing locally first and fall back to the cloud only when necessary. This approach offers significant benefits:

• Privacy: Sensitive user data stays on the device.
• Latency: Zero network round-trips for ...