Relation between cloud computing and artificial intelligence

Cloud computing is a fairly new service that organizations and businesses are adopting at a rapid pace. It’s become popular [1] for several reasons, including speed, efficiency, and cost savings. When used correctly, it becomes a great tool for storing, accessing, and using information. And when integrated with artificial intelligence, they form a deadlier combination that allows users to manage their data, point out patterns and insights from the data, optimize workflows, and much more.

For businesses, the relationship between cloud computing and artificial intelligence means an increased capacity to compete with key market players in their niches. But how exactly do the two technologies layer up to bring these immense benefits?
Read on as we take a closer look at what you need to know about the relationship between AI and cloud computing.

Cloud computing vs. artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence and cloud computing are often mentioned in the same breath. Although it’s hard to tell which one is greater than the other, it’s quite obvious that artificial intelligence has surpassed cloud computing by a great margin when it comes to popularity.

To understand the different roles that the two technologies play in the modern business landscape, we need to look at them independently.

AI and its applications

In simple terms, artificial intelligence [2] is a subset of data science that leverages machines’ and computers’ capabilities to mimic the human mind’s decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.

Its applications are fast extending towards many industries and have reached a level where it can learn how businesses and manufacturing plants work, provided its fed with sufficient and accurate data. When combined with other technologies, such as machine learning and IoT[3], it yields some incredible results and saves business owners a lot of money, effort, and time.

The rising popularity of AI can be seen in a wide range of commodities surrounding us. These include self-driving cars, virtual travel booking agents, smart assistants, and much more.

Cloud computing and its applications

Cloud computing is a technology that allows businesses to rent instead of buy their IT infrastructure and software. Unlike on-premise data centers that require considerable upfront investment [4], cloud computing offers user-oriented subscription services that allow users to pay for it as they use it. These services include but are not limited to databases, networking, business intelligence, and data analytics.

Cloud computing is gaining popularity in different sectors mainly due to its affordability, flexibility, and accessibility. Besides its short deployment times, it allows businesses to move their operations to a virtual office. This way, employees worldwide can access the system and work remotely.

Cloud computing VS. AI: Which one is better?

Cloud computing and AI serve different purposes. So, it’s not really a question of which one is better between the two, but rather how they complement each other. When used together, the two technologies can help business owners address various pain points in different aspects of their business.

The benefits of AI in cloud computing

If you’re wondering why there’s so much hype about the use of AI and cloud computing in unison, then perhaps you need to look at it from a practical point of view: Despite having a robust cloud strategy that could potentially increase your organization’s productivity, security, and efficiency, you’re more likely to fail at translating the insights you get from your data into useful information Reason being?

Without the improvement processes on the cloud that come from the use of artificial intelligence, it becomes extremely difficult to reflect on the benefits of cloud computing.

That being said, here are the top benefits that come from using AI and cloud computing together:

Seamless data access and data management

AI is all about leveraging data from different sources to make more intelligent business decisions. Cloud computing, on the other hand, unlike on-premise data storage, can hold significant quantities of data. This means that if AI is integrated into the cloud, organizations can better control and manage the data available at their disposal.

The hybrid cloud environment could learn from the collected data, make estimates, and solve potential issues in advance, all thanks to AI. AI and machine learning are also great at transferring data between the cloud and on-premises infrastructure, helping organizations to better manage and control their data. The result is better data insights, scalability, and the ability of organizations to better utilize resources available at their disposal.

Cost savings

Cost savings is perhaps one of the most compelling reasons why more organizations are using AI in the cloud. For businesses looking to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning into their operations, the economic benefit of using AI and cloud computing in unison goes beyond work automation.

Unlike on-premise data centers, cloud computing presents a cheaper option for implementing AI projects. That’s because it uses a pay-as-you-go model that eliminates upfront costs such as hardware administration and maintenance, which are quite costly when an organization uses on-site data centers.

Better decision making

AI learns from historical data to make predictions about future states. Given the huge number of data sets available on the cloud, combining AI with cloud computing exposes machine learning algorithms to data that could help develop a gradual understanding of the problems at hand.

Based on the data characteristics, AI can be quite helpful in making informed decisions and generating valuable recommendations for customers. And since AI isn’t subject to human error, customers can benefit from quick turnaround times as well as accurate product recommendations.

Increased reliability

Cloud computing presents a quicker and easier way for organizations to store their data. Unlike on-premise data storage, you can always access your system from another server if there are any issues or damage within your system.

Using AI in cloud computing also allows organizations to integrate all their software data and other internal tools into the cloud, making it easier for all team members to access them. The result is a more reliable and flexible work process.

Final thoughts

The future of business relies on the adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing. While the two technologies have separate applications, integrating them has proven to be more advantageous than using them separately.

Some of the benefits that organizations stand to gain from using AI in the cloud include seamless data access, cost savings, better decision-making, and increased reliability. So, if you want to take your business to the next level, you shouldn’t shy away from adopting these technologies! Discover more about our AI consulting services.

References

[1] Accenture.com. Wat is Cloud Computing and Why is it Important?. URL: https://accntu.re/3W8TNSU. Accessed November 30, 2022
[2] Oracle.com. What is AI. URL: https://www.oracle.com/ke/artificial-intelligence/what-is-ai/. Accessed November 30, 2022
[3] Tectaret.com. What is IOT. URL: https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/Internet-of-Things-IoT. Accessed November 30, 2022
[4] Arcserve.com. Data Centers. What are the Costs of Ownership. URL: https://www.arcserve.com/blog/data-centers-what-are-costs-ownership. Accessed November 30, 2022