Everyone should be able to build their ideas without needing to code, and it should be possible to convert any idea into reality without wasting time, money or resources. Sachin Dev Duggal, founder and chief executive officer, Engineer.ai, discusses how artificial intelligence (AI)-based design platforms can help develop solutions without having programming excellence, in an interaction with Deepshikha Shukla.
Q. How useful are AI-based design platforms?
A. AI-based design platforms empower customers by letting them build and scale software without any technical know-how. Anyone who has an idea can create using such AI-based design platforms. How, exactly?
While working on these platforms, users essentially create a specification utilising smart suggestions that make their project more efficient from the backend. This saves time in selecting and adapting core functionality, especially for developers.
Additionally, for a developer, the code written on multiple occasions need not be re-written. This saves time and money, and benefits the end-customer with an overall cheaper, but still bespoke, high-quality product. An AI-based design platform ensures that the product is launched by the set deadline and under budget. In fact, we have seen 90 per cent success on these parameters.
Q. What are the steps for developing a solution on an AI platform?
A. There are many ways to develop a solution with traditional development. For AI-powered development, first, choose what you would like to build and create an account. Start with the basic concept and select from the various options to add different options. In most cases, recommendations are made by the system in line with the idea and competition in the industry.
Then, select the time frame for delivery and location of your development and product. This will influence the overall price. After choosing pay-out options, you will be able to pay for your project.
After this, you get to work with product experts and the development team to launch your product, by the deadline, under budget and working effectively.
Last, keep your product up-to-date. Use a cloud-based operating system to store your code long term to build a foundation to scale your business as quickly as you want.
Q. How does machine learning assist an AI platform during software development?
A. Machine learning is the backbone of AI. After carrying out processes for thousands of users, the algorithm learns their most-likely next steps when creating bespoke technology products.
Additionally, AI ensures that cloud management runs most effectively. It allows developers to re-create only original codes and re-use common codes across multiple products.
Q. How can an AI-based platform help with reliable software development?
A. Such a platform provides a 360-degree approach for customer needs. From creating small products to managing enterprise software and cloud management, it provides reliable software development and scale to everyone. This means everyone can both launch and scale ideas, from startups to billion-dollar businesses.
Q. How important is the role of the government in the development of AI in a country like India?
A. AI is the future; it will be implemented differently across industries, and every industry will be impacted. Therefore for a government managing over 1.3 billion people, it is important to consider how to leverage this technology to govern and empower businesses to expand.
Q. To what extent can AI be useful? What are the other technologies that look promising in 2019?
A. With codes and algorithms, AI has the potential to effectively accompany human decision-making capacities.
There are many technologies that are sector-specific yet important. Besides AI, blockchain (for financial technology) and machine learning are the two technologies impacting the society and the future.
Q. How influential are apps for modern-day businesses?
A. Apps are brand extensions. Without these, a company looking to be a part of the potential US$ 10 trillion economy will not get far in the evolving marketplace. Today, apps have become the first point of contact for users to buy, gather information and generally seek assistance. Similarly, from a corporate point of view, apps are important to find leads, manage stocks and payments, for example.
Q. How are budding entrepreneurs leveraging Engineer’s platform to create better apps?
A. We use one of the top brokers of Amazon Web Services (AWS) in India. It allows us to use aggregate purchasing power of the tens of thousands of instances purchased through our platform coupled with advanced machine learning to buy capacity. This, in turn, provides a great price in the market to newly-emerging entrepreneurs. Our Intelligent Infrastructure Services reduces the time spent on tedious maintenance work from AWS migration service to backup-monitoring.
