Vendor lock-in
Depending so much on one supplier that switching becomes hard or costly.
For example
Building every workflow around one AI provider, then facing a big price rise.
Related terms
- Proof of concept (PoC) A small trial to check whether an AI idea works before spending big.
- Return on investment (ROI) What you gain compared with what you spend.
- Software as a service (SaaS) Software you rent online by subscription instead of installing.
- Sovereign AI A country building its own AI models, chips and data centres.
- Upskilling Learning new skills so you can work well alongside new technology.
- Use case A specific job a business wants AI to do.