What is AI as a Service (AIaaS)

Category: Business

What is AI as a Service (AIaaS)? AI as a service (AIaaS) refers to AI platforms that allow businesses to implement and scale AI techniques at a fraction of the cost of a full-fledged in-house AI. The term “Service” in AIaaS refers not only to the delivery model – cloud-based software – but also to the level of involvement of the vendor in the process. AIaaS providers provide the entire AI stack as a unified platform, from problem definition to keeping the model on track and expanding to new use cases, in addition to developing the model, deploying the solution in production, and maintaining it in real-world conditions. AI as a service is a new AI adoption model that has its roots in the recent Software as a Service, or SaaS, wave. As industries across verticals began to shift toward the web as the primary application delivery mechanism, initially for external customer-facing use, but increasingly for internal enterprise delivery, the SaaS model gained traction. During this time, there was an increasing demand for rapid software delivery, including initial deployments as well as feature additions, which could now be deployed onto a server with immediate effect. With applications rapidly shifting from single on-premises deployments to cloud-based solutions that allow for continuous development, it was only a matter of time before this model was adopted to allow for the deployment of AI solutions.