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Oracle adds generative AI tools to Fusion CX applications
The new tools are among 50 generative AI features Oracle released for several Fusion applications, from CX to HR and supply chain.
Oracle today released the first wave of its generative AI for Fusion Cloud applications, which includes tools for CX customers in marketing, sales and customer service.
Included among the CX features are webchat summaries for customer service; assisted customer success-driven content creation for salespeople based on stories of previous deals successfully closed; and, for marketers, AI-generated content for landing pages, email subjects and email body copy.
The CX tools were among 50 generative AI features Oracle released for a broad span of applications, which also includes HR and supply chain. The strategy in part resembles Salesforce's early Einstein AI strategy -- a tactical approach in which sharply focused features solve worker pain points in specific use cases.
"The trend toward specificity with GenAI tools is right," said Paul Greenberg, analyst for The 56 Group. "We all were shocked by GenAI at first because it was so right brained and personal, and it sounded human, which it's not. GenAI is just speaking in conversational language. Now that it's moving toward actual value, companies like Oracle are going to benefit when they come up with meaningful use cases."
Getting office workers to use generative AI isn't easy in these early days of the technology, said Rob Pinkerton, Oracle senior vice president. Once they do start using it, he is confident that GenAI will prove its value over time.
"I was skeptical that Google search could complete my search [as I typed]," Pinkerton said. "Then they started using a generative AI capability, autocomplete, to show me what the top 10 searches are that started with the first five letters and I'm like, 'Oh, that's a better search.' I wouldn't have believed it until I actually saw it."
Cohere LLM fuels Oracle GenAI
The Cohere large language model (LLM) provides the backbone for Oracle's GenAI tools. The two companies forged a partnership last year, similar to Microsoft's investment in OpenAI and AWS's with Anthropic.
The idea behind Oracle's Cohere integration with the Oracle cloud, Pinkerton said, is not only its performance but also its ability to control where customer data goes. An Oracle user's data does not leave the Oracle cloud and is not shared with an outside LLM. That satisfies security needs of Oracle's large-enterprise customers.
Cohere might turn out to be an acquisition target for Oracle, Greenberg said. Not only would it likely be less expensive than acquiring a company as large as OpenAI, but also acquiring a ready-made LLM would save Oracle a lot of work and costs as the company develops new GenAI features.
"Oracle's not stupid. They get a lot of value out of their acquisitions," Greenberg said. "What they do -- and this is entirely speculation [in Cohere's case] -- is pick companies that, if they really, really like what they see, they can eventually acquire."
The Oracle generative AI tools were released in conjunction with Oracle CloudWorld London on March 14. The AI tools are included at no extra charge to Oracle Fusion applications subscribers.
Don Fluckinger is a senior news writer for TechTarget Editorial. He covers customer experience, digital experience management and end-user computing. Got a tip? Email him.
