Oracle has introduced new artificial intelligence (AI) features to its NetSuite corporate finance software, aimed at simplifying common but time-consuming tasks. One of the highlights is a chatbot-driven feature designed to speed up the process of generating price quotes for complex purchases, such as custom bicycles, which require careful configuration.
In contrast to competitors like Microsoft, which focus on general-purpose virtual assistants, Oracle is emphasizing targeted AI tools designed to streamline specific business functions. These tools are meant to make repetitive tasks more efficient, such as entering sales meeting summaries into corporate systems or configuring products to provide accurate pricing to customers.
The new feature within NetSuite allows sales professionals or even consumers in e-commerce businesses to quickly generate quotes by conversing with a chatbot that gathers necessary information about the product, such as parts or configurations. This functionality is particularly useful in industries where customers need to customize products, like bicycles, and will help businesses close deals faster and more efficiently. “If you can configure products for customers more easily, you can do more deals in a day, or each deal costs less,” explained Evan Goldberg, Oracle NetSuite’s executive vice president.
Rather than competing in the race to build massive AI models, Oracle has partnered with Canadian AI startup Cohere to power its AI features. This approach allows the company to deliver functional AI tools without the high costs typically associated with developing large-scale models. Furthermore, Oracle has signaled potential future collaborations with OpenAI, having recently entered an agreement to build significant data centers with the ChatGPT creator. Though no formal announcements have been made, Goldberg confirmed that Oracle is eager to explore opportunities with OpenAI.