Imagine you are working on an alternative search engine or an automatic recommendation system based on many factors. Chances are you need an algorithm to fit those cases, but before investing resources in developing one, you should take a look at Algorithmia, a new virtual store that sells hundreds of them.
Algorithms are everywhere, no doubt. You search for something on eBay, log out, and six hours later you receive an email with offers focused on what you searched. Do you like motorcycles? If you look up material about them, Google ads will start offering related items. Big Data is a monster, but its minions are the algorithms. For better or worse, algorithms hold a critical place in our digital lives, and that is not going to change in the short term. In fact, everything seems to indicate that algorithms are becoming increasingly accurate and efficient, which in turn should allow for advanced services that adapt to every whim users might have. Now, where does that leave developers?
A common ground for developers
Previously, developers had to invest time and money creating their own solutions from scratch, but now they have Algorithmia, a virtual store that serves as a common territory where software developers can find the work of academics, mathematicians, and other experts. Visual recognition, audio and video processing, machine learning, and automatic translations are some of the examples that are part of Algorithmia's catalog, which amounts to 800 algorithms. Algorithmia is not the first portal of its kind, but the fact that it accepts any kind of algorithm instead of specializing in one field places it above the rest.
The price of each algorithm will be defined by the number of queries (read API calls) that the developer's software makes through Algorithmia's cloud platform, which avoids having to integrate more code into the application. There is also the possibility that the creator of an algorithm decides to open its code, so Algorithmia can also function as a kind of repository. The service is still in beta, and the initial subscription is free, with 10,000 credits as a gift.
