4 posts tagged with "ai"

In previous blog posts, I described how you can create a question and answer application using LangChain and the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Generative AI service. With the Oracle Database 23ai release, we looked at the power of AI Vector Search. This no-cost, built-in database feature provides another alternative to create Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) applications using just PL/SQL. However, both solutions require a good amount of code. With the recent availability of the OCI Generative AI Agents service, you can rapidly create a RAG application using low code!

Now that I caught your attention, I hope the image isn't too triggering. I grew up learning to fear these little black monsters that potentially carry a load of Dengue virus that could make you really sick. As recently reported, the disease continues to be an issue in Singapore. During my undergraduate years, I was deeply passionate about viral diseases, and spent a few months in the laboratory learning to characterize the structural components of the virus using cyrogenic electron microscopy. Hence, when Luc Demanche challenged me again to demonstrate retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), I decided to collect and use a few recent articles (PMIDs 38140548, 37478848, 37114191), and use them to create a quick proof-of-concept Oracle APEX application that allows the user to ask questions about the disease. These articles cover topics on the Dengue virus, its genomics and ultrastructure, and progress in vaccine development.

When I was first introduced to generative adversarial networks (GANs), I was impressed, but yet not impressed. The concept, performance, and outcomes of these advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms were truly jaw-dropping, but easily abused. And so, when everyone was excitedly chatting about ChatGPT, I was cynical and tried to tune out until I came across a comment by an old acquaintance, following a news article on concerns about ChatGPT and potential plagiarism in school.

It's like someone using a calculator in an arithmetic exam, ChatGPT is just another tool.

-- Sau Sheong Chang

That statement got me rethinking my stance on the technology, and curious about its utility in my day-to-day job.

During a recent Kscope21 session, "Predict Customer Churn Using Oracle Autonomous Database, Machine Learning, and APEX", I had shared that it has always been my personal desire to create web applications that are not only purposeful, but also have an element of "intelligence". With new features recently introduced in the Oracle Machine Learning product offering, it is now relatively easy to introduce ML as a component of your Oracle Application Express (APEX) applications. This is the first of several posts that I am writing as a follow up to the presentations I did at this year's (virtual) conference.