The same feeling of tech 10-15 years ago is what the current AI scene feels like. There's definitely an emphasis on higher education now, but outside of that look at what hackers have been able to accomplish just solo. It's a burgeoning scene with the potential to be as impactful as software was. Except now instead of if/else, it's going to be inscrutable arrays of numbers representing learned programs :D. It seems super fun and the barrier to entry is a lot lower than people think!