Mike RamosArtificial Intelligence as a service (AIaaS) refers to businesses that offer out-of-the-box AI solutions. Artificial Intelligence denotes computer programs that can perform tasks like humans. This encompasses reasoning, learning from previous experiences, and problem-solving. In short, these are machines that can think and act like humans.
AI is a wide term that refers to various technologies such as robotics, machine learning, computer vision, and Natural Language Processing (NLP). Other familiar terms such as infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or software as a service (SaaS), and just like AIaaS, they are “as a service” solutions hosted by a third-party provider, with cost-effective margins to allow in-house software development.
AIaaS simplifies AI technology, thereby increasing its access margins. Through intuitive low-code tools and APIs, users can use AI’s power without writing even one line of code.
How Does AI Work?
Most AI makes use of Algorithms. Algorithms refer to a set of rules or a method that is followed to calculate or solve a problem, usually by a computer. Computers tackle specific tasks using AI algorithms by analyzing massive volumes of data by making statistical estimations or generalizations.
AI algorithms are usually categorized into two: deep learning algorithms that use deep neural networks and machine learning algorithms that include classification and regression. When these algorithms are in use, computers seem to act like the human brain, where they can determine the objects in an image, respond to roadblocks when it comes to autonomous vehicles, and conduct a spontaneous conversations with humans.
Therefore, companies are interested in taking optimizing all the insight they can obtain from data; this is because this data can assist them in better understanding their customers and their needs, understanding why some individuals buy and others do not, and identify instances of production and service delivery which can be automated.
How has Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) Progressed?
AIaaS is the solution for businesses that can’t or are unwilling to create their own clouds or build, test, and use their own artificial intelligence systems. The most compelling benefit is the ability to benefit from data insights without making a large upfront investment in talent and resources.
Just like other “as a service” options, they have similar benefits to AIaaS, such as allowing the company workers to remain focused on the major goal of the business (instead of perfecting their machine learning skills), improve their strategic flexibility, minimize investment risks, make costs open and flexible, and increase gains from having data.
What are The Different Types of AI as a Service (AIaaS)?
There are several types of AI services, and by the time you’re ready to buy, you’ll probably know what you want — it’ll all boil down to your pain spots and what you need to improve. The following are the three most common AIaaS solutions:
- Bots
AI algorithms are used to mimic human dialogue in chatbots. They mix NLP and machine learning capabilities to interpret user inquiries and give relevant responses.
Customer service is already being revolutionized by bots, cutting first-time response rates and increasing customer satisfaction. They assist firms in automating basic processes, allowing agents to devote more time to more difficult duties. They can also provide real-time assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and manage many queries without the intervention of a human.
- APIs
APIs are included in many AIaaS products. An API (Application Programming Interface) serves as a bridge between two pieces of software, allowing them to communicate.
Let’s imagine you want your helpdesk to automatically filter customer support tickets by topic as they arrive. You can integrate an AI tool with your chosen customer care software using an API.
APIs can be used for a variety of purposes, including Natural Language Processing, sentiment analysis, and extracting items from the text. APIs that are provided ‘as a service can be used immediately away, with only a few lines of code required.
- Machine Learning
Machine learning algorithms are used by businesses to identify patterns in massive volumes of data, make predictions, and expedite processes.
AIaaS makes machine learning technology adoption simple for enterprises. Pre-trained models can be used, or tools can be customized to meet unique business objectives. All of this is possible without any prior knowledge of machine learning.
Who are the Leading AIaaS Companies?
It’s important to critically examine your objectives, the size of your company, and available resources when choosing an AI solution. You’ll also need to consider your team’s technological capabilities as well as the amount of data you’ll need to process. Here’s a quick review of the best AIaaS firms to assist you in making your decision:
- IBM Watson
IBM Watson houses a set of AI technologies aimed at assisting large businesses in making the most of their data. Watson Assistant (for building virtual assistants) and Watson Natural Language Understand are two examples of pre-built applications (to perform advanced text analysis tasks).
IBM Watson Studio allows developers to create, train, and deploy machine learning models across any cloud. It is not necessary to have any prior knowledge of machine learning or data science. Sift through their array of solutions to find the service that best fits your needs.
- Google Cloud ML
Google Cloud ML Engine is a machine learning platform that allows you to design and deploy projects. It’s aimed at data scientists and developers who work with large amounts of data.
Custom machine learning models for text analysis, picture categorization, translation, and more can be trained with AutoML. Using a “what-if tool,” you may view your datasets to observe how your model operates and obtain metrics to evaluate performance.
One of the benefits of this platform is the ease with which you can link your models with the entire Google Cloud ecosystem.
- Microsoft Azure
Microsoft’s Azure is a public cloud computing platform. It provides a plethora of AI and machine learning solutions for developers as one of the major AIaaS providers.
Azure Cognitive Services APIs can add various AI capabilities (such as computer vision or text extraction) to your projects. You could also use Azure Bot Service, which allows you to easily create any form of a bot, from a Q&A bot to your own branded virtual assistant.
