Oracle Launches GenAI Enterprise Solutions

Software and cloud giant Oracle on Tuesday announced the official launch of its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Generative AI (OCI GenAI) service aimed at enterprise use with large language models (LLMs) from Meta and Cohere, along with other tools. Businesses will be able to use and manipulate their own data and create their own language models, the company said.

The company said its OCI GenAI offering, which has been in beta testing since September, will include multilingual capabilities supporting over 100 languages, improved GPU cluster management, flexible fine tuning, and the choice of on-premises or cloud services. Oracle will also launch its GenAI Agents beta to automate workflows. The agents will let users converse with their company’s own data sources through natural language without the need for specialist skills, Oracle says.

In an interview with InformationWeek, Oracle’s Steven Zivanic, global vice president for database and autonomous services, says OCI GenAI’s beta testers included a broad swath of enterprises, from small and medium-sized businesses to major multinational corporations and institutions. “What enterprises are looking for is solutions that are specifically architected for their world,” he says.

Vinod Mamtani, Oracle’s vice president and general manager for Generative AI Services OCI, tells InformationWeek the service is geared toward companies at any stage of their AI journey. “Enterprises -- small, medium businesses as well as large companies -- are very keen on using GenAI,” Mamtani says. “And many times, they don’t know where to start. In many cases, we are able to use pre-trained models, follow the use cases, and they can start using it. Many of the enterprises can go in using just prompt engineering. In some cases, they need some level of fine tuning with their datasets, because it’s very unique.”

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GenAI Arms Race

Enterprise adoption is becoming a key battleground for artificial intelligence companies. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, with backing from Oracle rival Microsoft, launched its own enterprise offerings last year and recently launched a tier aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses. Microsoft is also focused on numerous in-house enterprise GenAI offerings.

According to research from The Brainy Insights, the global enterprise artificial intelligence market will reach $232.9 billion in 2032.

During a keynote at Oracle CloudWorld in September, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Larry Ellison called AI a “revolution,” and said the technology would be central to the company’s future offerings. “It is a breakthrough,” Ellison said. “It’s fundamentally changing things at Oracle.”

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Zivanic says Oracle’s GenAI offerings will stand out from competitors. “We’re focusing right now on enterprises that want a pre-built experience -- something they can openly and readily engage with, versus trying to build it themselves and sort it out,” he says. “That’s fundamentally different than what some of our principal competitors are doing. The whole customer experience, and our focus on the enterprise, at all layers of the stack is a fundamentally different approach.”

Enterprise AI Safety and Compliance

Responsible AI has become a priority throughout the industry as the serious threats associated with AI use -- from ethical considerations to the prospect of increased cyber attacks aided by new technologies. Regulations adopted abroad and a Biden administration executive order on artificial intelligence safety are laying the groundwork for responsible AI adoption. Mamtani and Zivanic say Oracle is determined to provide a safe product for its enterprise customers.

“Everyone is keeping a keen eye on upcoming regulations and wants to comply, but I haven’t seen anyone holding back because of that,” Mamtani says. “If anything, they want to move forward and they want to accelerate adoption of GenAI because they realize that it’s key to their long-term success.”

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Zivanic says as larger organizations continue to adopt AI, smaller organizations and peers in the industry will become more comfortable with launching their own efforts. “When they see other organizations in the same industry adopting generative AI for a specific use case, then they feel more confident that it’s applicable to their world as well.”

The company did not release specifics on pricing but said companies will be able to tailor services to their individual needs.