Not just for big business: how AI went mainstream - Raconteur

Not so long ago, AI was the preserve of the largest organisations, mainly because of its cost and complexity. But this is starting to change. As the technology becomes more affordable, the largest hosting providers, such as Microsoft, Amazon and Google, are opening up access to shared resources and pre-packaged AI systems with offerings aimed at smaller businesses. With AI becoming sophisticated enough to program itself, some leading technology providers are even delving into the world of'citizen developers', as David Shrier, professor of practice, AI and innovation at Imperial College Business School, explains. "This capability is growing closer. Under such a model, a small business owner would rent AI capacity from a large tech company and describe a problem verbally to the AI. The computer would then write a program for itself to solve that problem," he says.