'Take the leap': Sunil Wahi of Oracle urges businesses to embrace AI revolution

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries worldwide, and at the forefront of this technological revolution is Oracle, a global technology giant. Leveraging its powerful Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), the company is strategically embedding AI across its business applications to drive innovation and efficiency for its clients. At Oracle's recent Cloud World event in Mumbai, Sunil Wahi sat down with Business Today, and provided valuable insights into the company's AI strategy, focusing on key trends like 'agentic AI', the human-machine partnership, and the transformative potential of these technologies across diverse sectors. Sunil Wahi is the Vice President, Applications Solution Engineering, at Oracle Asia Pacific.

According to Wahi, the AI landscape is rapidly evolving beyond basic predictive analytics. "In 2025, there will be a huge focus on agentic-driven workflow," he stated, highlighting the shift towards AI agents capable of decision-making and supporting complex functions. Oracle is actively developing and deploying these AI agents across its Fusion Cloud applications, aiming to automate business processes and boost efficiency across industries.

"The world of generative AI and AI agents… there's a whole lot of automation which is coming in business processes leveraging artificial intelligence," Wahi explained. He cited "touchless finance processes" within Oracle's Fusion Cloud as a prime example of this trend already delivering significant productivity gains.

Delving deeper into "agentic AI," Wahi illustrated its practical application using manufacturing as an example. He described AI agents guiding manual workers on shop floors, providing context-sensitive data, and even predicting machine failures. These agents are not just about automation; they are designed to empower the workforce and reduce manual labour while generating valuable data-driven insights. Oracle is extending this agentic approach across various sectors, including finance, HR, customer experience, and analytics.

However, Wahi stressed that Oracle's AI strategy prioritises human-AI collaboration. "Everything which we are doing… is to support the human decision-making process," he asserted. He emphasised the incorporation of "checkpoints" and workflow-driven processes that allow businesses to customise the level of automation and maintain human oversight. "Human intervention will be something we always and always will keep bringing in," he affirmed, pointing out that even in fully automated processes, the choice of automation level remains with the customer.

Addressing the varying adoption rates across industries, Wahi spotlighted healthcare and finance as sectors poised for significant AI disruption. He detailed Oracle's healthcare-specific innovations, such as AI-assisted clinical assistance and inventory management solutions designed to improve patient care and operational efficiency. In finance, he highlighted "predictive cash management" tools that not only forecast liquidity but also guide users through agentic workflows to optimise cash flow. He also noted the immense potential for AI to empower Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) by addressing talent shortages and enhancing user experience.

The interview also touched upon Oracle's strategic partnership with NVIDIA. Wahi explained how NVIDIA's advanced GPUs are accelerating Oracle's cloud infrastructure and large language model capabilities, ultimately benefiting customers through faster processing and pre-built AI applications within Fusion. He clarified that Oracle's focus for their Fusion applications is on providing ready-to-use, embedded AI solutions, rather than requiring clients to build their own AI models.

Acknowledging India's growing focus on AI, underscored by the recent budget announcement of a ₹500 crore centre of excellence for AI, Wahi expressed Oracle's commitment to supporting India's AI ambitions. He highlighted Oracle's partnerships with local institutions like the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) and banks, emphasising a collaborative approach to boost AI development and adoption in the country.

Concluding with advice for hesitant organisations, Wahi urged CXOs to "take the leap" into AI. "Take the leap, do the numbers… but take that leap. And that leap is not as complex as they think it is going to be," he encouraged. He suggested starting with pilot projects to build confidence and demonstrate the tangible benefits of AI integration.

Wahi's insights paint a picture of an AI future driven by intelligent agents, yet grounded in human-centric design. As Oracle continue to innovate and partner within India and globally, the company positions itself at the forefront of this transformative technological wave, promising a future where AI empowers businesses across diverse sectors to achieve unprecedented efficiency and growth.