I spent some time over the last couple of weeks looking for scholarly articles that reference AI as a service (AIaaS) [1]. Then I realized that things are changing so quickly in the landscape of AI these days that none of those articles even consider Auto-GPT [2]. Unless you have been on vacation and hiding from AI news recently you have been hearing about the advent of this plugin, multiagent, and task targeted implementation of a GPT model called Auto-GPT. People are using it to do things. You can see that that GitHub repository already has 50,000 stars and the demo was from March 30, 2023. In terms of open source code projects this one has taken off with rocket boosters. Right now the project has been forked almost 8,000 times. I’m trying to find a version that can be run in a jupyter notebook on Colab. This space is rapidly changing and will probably be changing rapidly over the next 6 months.
What did the OpenAI ChatGPT 4.0 model spit out on this one when prompted?
AI can be both a platform and a service, depending on how it is implemented and used. The distinction between the two is not mutually exclusive, as AI applications often span across various domains and industries. Let's explore each concept:
AI as a Platform: An AI platform provides the infrastructure, tools, and libraries necessary for developing and deploying AI applications. These platforms enable developers and data scientists to build, train, and manage AI models without having to start from scratch. Examples of AI platforms include TensorFlow, PyTorch, and OpenAI's GPT series. In this context, AI serves as a foundational technology upon which various solutions can be built.
AI as a Service (AIaaS): AIaaS refers to the delivery of AI capabilities as a service, usually through APIs or web services. Companies that offer AIaaS provide access to pre-built AI models, which clients can use without having to develop their own AI capabilities. This allows organizations to leverage AI technology without investing in infrastructure or expertise. Examples of AIaaS include Google Cloud AI, IBM Watson, and Amazon Web Services' machine learning services.
In conclusion, AI can function both as a platform and a service, depending on its implementation and usage. Many companies and developers use AI platforms to create AI services, which can then be integrated into various applications and business processes.
I thought it might be fun to follow up and prompt to see who was the best at AIaaS…
It is difficult to definitively say who the "best" AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS) provider is, as different providers excel in different areas and offer varying services that cater to specific use cases. However, some of the most prominent and reputable AIaaS providers include:
Google Cloud AI: Google offers a comprehensive suite of AI services, including natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning. Its offerings, such as Google Cloud Vision API, Dialogflow, and AutoML, are widely used and respected for their accuracy and ease of use.
Amazon Web Services (AWS): AWS provides a range of AI services, including machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. Some popular offerings are Amazon Rekognition, Amazon Lex, and Amazon SageMaker.
IBM Watson: IBM's AIaaS platform, Watson, offers various services, including natural language processing, machine learning, and chatbot development. Watson Assistant and Watson Discovery are among its popular services.
Microsoft Azure: Azure offers a suite of AI services, including machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision. Key offerings include Azure Cognitive Services, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure Bot Service.
The "best" AIaaS provider for your specific needs will depend on several factors, such as the required AI capabilities, pricing, ease of integration, and the level of customization needed. It's essential to research and evaluate each provider based on your unique requirements to make an informed decision.
Links and thoughts:
Top 4 Tweets of the week:
https://twitter.com/ericschmidt/status/1659619610063249409
https://twitter.com/CaseyNewton/status/1659579798857871360
https://twitter.com/robmay/status/1659610763005399042
https://twitter.com/DynamicWebPaige/status/1659075284891738112
Footnotes:
[1] https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C6&q=AIaaS&btnG=
[2] https://github.com/Torantulino/Auto-GPT
What’s next for The Lindahl Letter?
Week 123: Considering open source AI
Week 124: Profiling OpenAI
Week 125: Profiling Hugging Face (open and collaborative machine learning)
Week 126: Profiling Deep Mind
Week 127: Democratizing AI systems
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AIaaS: Will AI be a platform or a service? Auto-GPT will disrupt both