asanAI: In-Browser, No-Code, Offline-First Machine Learning Toolkit

TL;DR

asanAI is an accessible, offline-first, no-code machine learning toolkit that runs in web browsers, enabling users of all skill levels to design, train, and test ML models without coding or software installation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel in-browser, no-code ML toolkit that simplifies model development and education, supporting privacy, GPU acceleration, and industry-ready exports.

Findings

Enables ML experimentation on any device via web browser.

Supports privacy through local computations and GPU acceleration.

Facilitates ML education and rapid prototyping for researchers and teachers.

Abstract

Machine learning (ML) has become crucial in modern life, with growing interest from researchers and the public. Despite its potential, a significant entry barrier prevents widespread adoption, making it challenging for non-experts to understand and implement ML techniques. The increasing desire to leverage ML is counterbalanced by its technical complexity, creating a gap between potential and practical application. This work introduces asanAI, an offline-first, open-source, no-code machine learning toolkit designed for users of all skill levels. It allows individuals to design, debug, train, and test ML models directly in a web browser, eliminating the need for software installations and coding. The toolkit runs on any device with a modern web browser, including smartphones, and ensures user privacy through local computations while utilizing WebGL for enhanced GPU performance. Users can quickly experiment with neural networks and train custom models using various data sources, supported by intuitive visualizations of network structures and data flows. asanAI simplifies the teaching of ML concepts in educational settings and is released under an open-source MIT license, encouraging modifications. It also supports exporting models in industry-ready formats, empowering a diverse range of users to effectively learn and apply machine learning in their projects. The proposed toolkit is successfully utilized by researchers of ScaDS.AI to swiftly draft and test machine learning ideas, by trainers to effectively educate enthusiasts, and by teachers to introduce contemporary ML topics in classrooms with minimal effort and high clarity.