diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 501d493..d42fd45 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -50,15 +50,17 @@ services:
         condition: service_healthy
     networks:
       - munich-news-network
+    env_file:
+      - backend/.env
     entrypoint: /bin/sh
     command: >
       -c "
       echo 'Waiting for Ollama service to be ready...' &&
       sleep 5 &&
-      echo 'Pulling phi3:latest model via API...' &&
-      curl -X POST http://ollama:11434/api/pull -d '{\"name\":\"phi3:latest\"}' &&
+      echo 'Pulling model: ${OLLAMA_MODEL:-phi3:latest}' &&
+      curl -X POST http://ollama:11434/api/pull -d '{\"name\":\"${OLLAMA_MODEL:-phi3:latest}\"}' &&
       echo '' &&
-      echo 'Model phi3:latest pull initiated!'
+      echo 'Model ${OLLAMA_MODEL:-phi3:latest} pull initiated!'
       "
     restart: "no"
 
diff --git a/docs/CHANGING_AI_MODEL.md b/docs/CHANGING_AI_MODEL.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..187ee77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/CHANGING_AI_MODEL.md
@@ -0,0 +1,266 @@
+# Changing the AI Model
+
+## Overview
+
+The system uses Ollama for AI-powered features (summarization, clustering, neutral summaries). You can easily change the model by updating the `.env` file.
+
+## Current Configuration
+
+**Default Model:** `phi3:latest`
+
+The model is configured in `backend/.env`:
+```env
+OLLAMA_MODEL=phi3:latest
+```
+
+## ✅ How to Change the Model
+
+### Step 1: Update .env File
+
+Edit `backend/.env` and change the `OLLAMA_MODEL` value:
+
+```env
+# Example: Change to a different model
+OLLAMA_MODEL=llama3:latest
+
+# Or use a specific version
+OLLAMA_MODEL=mistral:7b
+
+# Or use a custom model
+OLLAMA_MODEL=your-custom-model:latest
+```
+
+### Step 2: Restart Services
+
+The model will be automatically downloaded on startup:
+
+```bash
+# Stop services
+docker-compose down
+
+# Start services (model will be pulled automatically)
+docker-compose up -d
+
+# Watch the download progress
+docker-compose logs -f ollama-setup
+```
+
+**Note:** First startup with a new model takes 2-10 minutes depending on model size.
+
+## Supported Models
+
+### Recommended Models
+
+| Model | Size | Speed | Quality | Best For |
+|-------|------|-------|---------|----------|
+| `phi3:latest` | 2.3GB | ⚡⚡⚡ | ⭐⭐⭐ | **Default** - Fast, good quality |
+| `llama3:8b` | 4.7GB | ⚡⚡ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Better quality, slower |
+| `mistral:7b` | 4.1GB | ⚡⚡ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Balanced performance |
+| `gemma:7b` | 5.0GB | ⚡⚡ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Google's model |
+
+### Lightweight Models (Faster)
+
+| Model | Size | Speed | Quality |
+|-------|------|-------|---------|
+| `phi3:mini` | 2.3GB | ⚡⚡⚡ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
+| `tinyllama:latest` | 637MB | ⚡⚡⚡⚡ | ⭐⭐ |
+| `qwen:0.5b` | 397MB | ⚡⚡⚡⚡ | ⭐⭐ |
+
+### High-Quality Models (Slower)
+
+| Model | Size | Speed | Quality |
+|-------|------|-------|---------|
+| `llama3:70b` | 40GB | ⚡ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
+| `mixtral:8x7b` | 26GB | ⚡ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
+
+**Full list:** https://ollama.ai/library
+
+## Manual Model Management
+
+### Pull Model Manually
+
+```bash
+# Pull a specific model
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama pull llama3:latest
+
+# Pull multiple models
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama pull mistral:7b
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama pull phi3:latest
+```
+
+### List Available Models
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama list
+```
+
+### Remove Unused Models
+
+```bash
+# Remove a specific model
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama rm phi3:latest
+
+# Free up space
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama prune
+```
+
+## Testing the New Model
+
+### Test via API
+
+```bash
+curl http://localhost:5001/api/ollama/test
+```
+
+### Test Summarization
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec crawler python << 'EOF'
+from ollama_client import OllamaClient
+from config import Config
+
+client = OllamaClient(
+    base_url=Config.OLLAMA_BASE_URL,
+    model=Config.OLLAMA_MODEL,
+    enabled=True
+)
+
+result = client.summarize_article(
+    "This is a test article about Munich news. The city council made important decisions today.",
+    max_words=50
+)
+
+print(f"Model: {Config.OLLAMA_MODEL}")
+print(f"Success: {result['success']}")
+print(f"Summary: {result['summary']}")
+print(f"Duration: {result['duration']:.2f}s")
+EOF
+```
+
+### Test Clustering
+
+```bash
+docker-compose exec crawler python tests/crawler/test_clustering_real.py
+```
+
+## Performance Comparison
+
+### Summarization Speed (per article)
+
+| Model | CPU | GPU (NVIDIA) |
+|-------|-----|--------------|
+| phi3:latest | ~15s | ~3s |
+| llama3:8b | ~25s | ~5s |
+| mistral:7b | ~20s | ~4s |
+| llama3:70b | ~120s | ~15s |
+
+### Memory Requirements
+
+| Model | RAM | VRAM (GPU) |
+|-------|-----|------------|
+| phi3:latest | 4GB | 2GB |
+| llama3:8b | 8GB | 4GB |
+| mistral:7b | 8GB | 4GB |
+| llama3:70b | 48GB | 40GB |
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Model Not Found
+
+```bash
+# Check if model exists
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama list
+
+# Pull the model manually
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama pull your-model:latest
+```
+
+### Out of Memory
+
+If you get OOM errors:
+1. Use a smaller model (e.g., `phi3:mini`)
+2. Enable GPU acceleration (see [GPU_SETUP.md](GPU_SETUP.md))
+3. Increase Docker memory limit
+
+### Slow Performance
+
+1. **Use GPU acceleration** - 5-10x faster
+2. **Use smaller model** - phi3:latest is fastest
+3. **Increase timeout** in `.env`:
+   ```env
+   OLLAMA_TIMEOUT=300
+   ```
+
+### Model Download Fails
+
+```bash
+# Check Ollama logs
+docker-compose logs ollama
+
+# Restart Ollama
+docker-compose restart ollama
+
+# Try manual pull
+docker-compose exec ollama ollama pull phi3:latest
+```
+
+## Custom Models
+
+### Using Your Own Model
+
+1. **Create/fine-tune your model** using Ollama
+2. **Import it:**
+   ```bash
+   docker-compose exec ollama ollama create my-model -f Modelfile
+   ```
+3. **Update .env:**
+   ```env
+   OLLAMA_MODEL=my-model:latest
+   ```
+4. **Restart services**
+
+### Model Requirements
+
+Your custom model should support:
+- Text generation
+- Prompt-based instructions
+- Reasonable response times (<60s per request)
+
+## Best Practices
+
+### For Production
+
+1. **Test thoroughly** before switching models
+2. **Monitor performance** after switching
+3. **Keep backup** of old model until stable
+4. **Document** model choice in your deployment notes
+
+### For Development
+
+1. **Use phi3:latest** for fast iteration
+2. **Test with llama3:8b** for quality checks
+3. **Profile performance** with different models
+4. **Compare results** between models
+
+## FAQ
+
+**Q: Can I use multiple models?**
+A: Yes! Pull multiple models and switch by updating `.env` and restarting.
+
+**Q: Do I need to re-crawl articles?**
+A: No. Existing summaries remain. New articles use the new model.
+
+**Q: Can I use OpenAI/Anthropic models?**
+A: Not directly. Ollama only supports local models. For cloud APIs, you'd need to modify the `OllamaClient` class.
+
+**Q: Which model is best?**
+A: For most users: `phi3:latest` (fast, good quality). For better quality: `llama3:8b`. For production with GPU: `mistral:7b`.
+
+**Q: How much disk space do I need?**
+A: 5-10GB for small models, 50GB+ for large models. Plan accordingly.
+
+## Related Documentation
+
+- [OLLAMA_SETUP.md](OLLAMA_SETUP.md) - Ollama installation & configuration
+- [GPU_SETUP.md](GPU_SETUP.md) - GPU acceleration setup
+- [AI_NEWS_AGGREGATION.md](AI_NEWS_AGGREGATION.md) - AI features overview