Accessing IBM Cloud Services

Exhibit 25.23   IBM Cloud Services.

To access IBM Cloud services, including Watson services like Watson Assistant, Watson Natural Language Understanding, and others, you typically need an API key to authenticate and use these services. Here are the steps to obtaining an API key for demo purposes:

1. Sign Up for IBM Cloud: If you do not have an IBM Cloud account, you can sign up for free at cloud.ibm.com. IBM offers a free tier that allows you to explore and use many of its services at no cost.
2. Navigate to the Watson Services Catalog (Exhibit 25.23): After logging in to IBM Cloud, search for “Watson” in the IBM Cloud catalog or browse the AI category. This will bring you to the Watson services catalog, where you can view various Watson services.
3. Choose a Service:Select the Watson service that suits your demo needs. For instance, you could choose:
   • Watson Assistant for building chatbots or conversational interfaces.
   • Watson Natural Language Understanding for analysing text data and extracting insights like keywords, sentiment, or emotion.
4. Create a Service Instance:After selecting a service, create a service instance by following the prompts. You will need to choose a region (where your data will be hosted) and a pricing plan. For demo purposes, you can often select the Lite plan, which is typically free but may have usage limits.
5. Obtain the API Key:Once the service instance is created, an API key will be generated. This key is necessary for authenticating your requests to the Watson service APIs. You can find this key under the “Manage” tab of your service dashboard.
6. Use the API Key: When you make API calls, you will need to include this key in the request headers for authentication.

Important Considerations:

• Usage Limits: Be mindful that free plans, such as the Lite plan, may have restrictions or usage limits (e.g., limited API calls per month). Review the specific service's pricing and usage details before proceeding.
• Terms of Service: Ensure compliance with IBM Cloud’s terms of service and usage policies. It’s crucial to educate your students about responsible usage, especially when using demo API keys for educational purposes. .