Generative AI
Generative AI, short for generative artificial intelligence, is a type of AI that can help write new data, text, images, music or even computer code. Simply put, generative AI can learn from existing content and use that knowledge to generate entirely new data. Examples of well-known generative AI applications include ChatGPT and Midjourney. Organisations can optimise their use of generative AI by first defining a strategic approach tailored to their specific needs and requirements. This involves deciding whether to buy existing AI models, buy pre-trained AI models with some customisation options, or build their own AI models.
There are three archetypes when building generative AI: Takers, Shapers and Creators. The Taker is the most common AI archetype. In software development, you are an AI Taker when you take a pre-built AI solution and integrate it into your software suite. Pre-built AI solutions are typically compact, well-tested, and come from reputable sources like third-party vendors or open-source repositories. You have the option to choose between commercially licensed AI components from trusted vendors, or free, open-source options. An example of a commonly used open-source component is Mozilla DeepSpeech. The usage of a so-called “off-the-shelf” AI component offers several advantages.
First of all, a major benefit of using pre-built AI components is that they often require less in-depth technical knowledge of AI from the developer integrating them. This is because these AI components are designed to be “end-to-end solutions”, accessible through an API (Application Programing Interface).
Secondly, the use of “off-the-shelf” AI components drastically cuts development timeline and expenses. Since the core technology has already been developed and tested, companies can bypass the process of building solutions from the ground up. This results in a faster launch of new features and enhancements.
Lastly, using pre-built AI components and solutions grants access to a community of users and developers. This community contributes to the continuous improvement of the AI component by providing valuable feedback, bug reports, and contributions to the codebase.
However, a significant drawback of using an “off-the-shelf” approach is the dependency on the external provider(s) for the AI components. Should a critical AI component become deprecated or diverge from the integrator's requirements, it could force unforeseen changes or the need for replacements, potentially disrupting operation or development of the product.
Mozilla DeepSpeech is an open-source embeddable speech-to-text engine (STT). https://github.com/mozilla/DeepSpeech