Artificial intelligence is not a threat that will take away jobs from humans, a senior Oracle executive has said, as the US technology company prepares to introduce its first generative AI services.
The technology, vastly improved with the advent of generative AI, should not be viewed as a danger but an enabler for people to become more productive, Miranda Nash group vice president for applications development and strategy at Oracle, told The National in an interview.
"It will not take away jobs, there are social science studies to support the fact that people are more productive when they're using AI in the right way," she said on the sidelines of the Oracle CloudWorld conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
"One of the things we're doing within [AI] applications is making it accessible to all types of roles ... to achieve a lot of results on their own in a different way – service agents, recruiters and finance people, among others, get the benefits from AI within the context of their work."
Eighteen per cent of work globally could be automated by AI, with a bigger impact on developed than emerging markets, a Goldman Sachs report said in March.
In the US, a quarter of current work tasks could be automated by AI, with sectors thought to be most at risk including administrative (46 per cent) and legal (44 per cent) professions. Physically intensive professions such as construction and maintenance have low exposure, the US investment bank said.
Oracle announced at the event that its first generative AI services would be released on its Fusion Cloud platform within the next two quarters.
They will be introduced on Oracle's Human Capital Management and Cloud Experience platforms in the fourth quarter of this year, then on its Enterprise Resource Planning and Supply Chain Management services in the January to March 2024 period.
Earlier, Oracle announced the limited availability of its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Generative AI service, which will support large language models to organisations in specific tasks, including the automation of end-to-end business processes, improved decision-making and enhanced customer experiences.
Texas-based Oracle expects the early adopters of its generative AI services will experience tangible benefits, Ms Nash said.
"We cannot provide examples on how generative AI will affect revenues and bottom lines yet but we can say that customers can expect dramatic gains in productivity ... and it raises the bar of quality," she said.
AI has come a long way and has been widely used across categories, and the advent of generative AI has changed all that by creating a new race.
Companies, led by global majors Google and Microsoft-backed OpenAI, have thrown their hat into the AI race, jockeying for position to take the early lead in the developing technology.
Oracle, meanwhile, has been using AI for more than 20 years, having integrated it into its various global services, including analytics, the cloud and its database portfolio.
The company first announced its generative AI plans in June with a three-pronged strategy: build "robust" infrastructure, provide easy-to-use cloud services for developers and scientists, and embed generative models into the applications and workflows that businesses use every day.
Also that month, Oracle announced it was spending “billions” of dollars on chips from Nvidia, as it seeks to boost its position in generative AI and cloud computing.
"We're already seeing a shift," Ms Nash said. "It has lit up the minds of our customers and now we're getting feedback about things they want to see.
"And this is what this will help elevate, again, the quality and value to our customers."
She also considers generative AI to be both an evolution and revolution – the latter echoing remarks earlier made by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison at CloudWorld.
Global AI investments are projected to hit $200 billion by 2025 and could potentially have an even bigger impact on gross domestic product, a Goldman Sachs study showed last month.
Generative AI, in particular, has “enormous” economic potential and could boost global labour productivity by more than 1 percentage point annually during the decade following widespread usage, the US investment bank had previously said.
"We are seeing faster and faster adoption of technology and innovation. Customers used to baulk at having to change and now they just know that it's coming more often," Ms Nash said.
Oracle is also an active participant in bodies setting standards, pushing for creating and implementing "guardrails" that ensure any new technology will be safe and secure for all its users, and to prevent its misuse.
"AI doesn't have any separate goals when it's employed for the goals that are good. It's a tool for good," she said.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
RESULTS
Time; race; prize; distance
4pm: Maiden; (D) Dh150,000; 1,200m
Winner: General Line, Xavier Ziani (jockey), Omar Daraj (trainer)
4.35pm: Maiden (T); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Travis County, Adrie de Vries, Ismail Mohammed
5.10pm: Handicap (D); Dh175,000; 1,200m
Winner: Scrutineer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
5.45pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Yulong Warrior, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Maiden (D); Dh150,000; 1,600m
Winner: Ejaaby, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson
6.55pm: Handicap (D); Dh160,000; 1,600m
Winner: Storyboard, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (D); Dh150,000; 2,200m
Winner: Grand Dauphin, Gerald Mosse, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8.05pm: Handicap (T); Dh190,000; 1,800m
Winner: Good Trip, Tadhg O’Shea, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%20specs
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
