Open access to artificial intelligence

Over the past few months Google, Microsoft and Facebook have taken major decisions to make their artificial intelligence API's openly available to all. IBM have opened their Watson API on a'freemium' basis and Elon Musk launched the OpenAI project with a star-studded list of backers; Palantir CEO Peter Thiel, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and Y Combinator president Sam Altman. These hugely powerful tools, which are used, developed and backed by the world's most advanced technology companies, are now available to anyone with the skills to use them. Whilst these announcements haven't quite drawn the media attention of an iPhone launch, their significance and reach may be far greater. The point is this: using these toolkits, individually or combined, anyone can integrate transformational AI or machine learning platforms - which are as sophisticated as anything currently on the market - to their business at on a pay as you go or free basis.