Artificial intelligence development platform provider Bonsai AI Inc. has unveiled a new feature called Gears that allows data scientists run machine learning models created on alternative platforms.

The idea is that Gears can transfer independently developed models onto the Bonsai platform, where they can be monitored more easily.

Bonsai’s platform is popular with data scientists and developers because it allows them to lay out exactly what they want to teach a machine learning system, using a programming language called Inkling. The code, training data and other assets are uploaded to Bonsai, which then creates a machine learning system that solves the problem laid out in the code. Bonsai also handles the training of that system and creates an environment so it can easily be deployed into production.

With the new update, machine learning models built on platforms like TensorFlow, OpenCV, Torch, scikit-learn and Microsoft’s Cognitive Toolkit can now all run on Bonsai’s platform. Those models can incorporate a “Gear” in order to be uploaded to Bonsai’s platform, which will then analyze the network specified by the original framework and integrate it with the rest of the system.

“Using Gears, a Bonsai Platform programmer can replace any “concept” in an Inkling program with existing Python code,” Keen Browne, Bonsai’s co-founder and head of product, explained in a blog post. “In effect this means you can transform data flowing into our Bonsai Platform generated reinforcement learning algorithms. These transforms can include other machine learning models built with frameworks like Google’s TensorFlow and even ‘skills’ that incorporate classical control operations into a more complex AI model.”

The company said Gears makes the Bonsai platform more useful because data scientists and developers don’t have to worry about redoing any of their earlier work.

“Customers want to know that we can support their existing AI models, while extending functionality as needed to address unique and emerging application requirements,” Mark Hammond, co-founder and chief executive officer of Bonsai, said in a statement.

Bonsai said Gears is only available via its early access program, which companies can sign up for at this link. The company has yet to announce general availability of its platform.

The announcement comes barely a month after Bonsai landed a $7.6 million Series A funding round led by Microsoft Ventures.

Image: Bonsai