Can AI really benefit cash-strapped SMBs?

Over the last few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI), has spread beyond the realm of IBM's super-computer Watson, into the houses and pockets of billions around the globe courtesy of the likes of Apple's Siri & Amazon's Alexa. While AI may have evolved from a rather abstract, sci-fi concept, to a real-life, practical part of our conscious everyday lives, there are many around the globe who question its relevancy & impact to the small-medium business (SMB) community -- a community that is still so important to the economic prosperity of almost every country around the globe. One of the first & most obvious challenges to the SMB space is the associated cost. Fortunately, for businesses on a budget, AI investment & deployment doesn't need to break the bank. While developing your own AI is undoubtedly a complex and time-consuming process requiring a considerable amount of investment, fortunately, several tech companies have open-sourced their AI efforts in a bid to make AI more accessible to greater sections of society (including SMBs).