Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot-button topic in business IT for the last several years. Advancements in fields like deep learning and neural networks have made it easier than ever to commercialise AI without needing three years and a team of MIT lab scientists to train a machine learning model, and analysts have been busily predicting the dawn of a new AI-enabled age. We've extensively covered the possible applications of AI technology within business, including speeding up security teams, pulling insights out of operational data and automating customer service tasks. Vendors are also keen to tout the flexibility of AI systems, boasting of the across-the-board efficiency gains that can be leveraged with their help. But while it may be more technically viable than it's ever been, how practical is it to actually deploy AI tools in a business environment?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot-button topic in business IT for the last several years.

In terms of creating the underlying AI capability, this is the work of folks who are passionate about creating artificial intelligence algorithms, for people to …