May 2 (Reuters) - Oracle on Thursday released

an update to its database technology intended to make it more

useful with artificial intelligence technology.

The update, which is called Oracle Database 23ai, introduces

technology that will make it easier for chatbots and other new

AI systems to find data stored in corporate systems. Using what

is called "vector search" technology, the new Oracle database

can be searched by concepts or ideas expressed in natural human

language, instead of simply matching up keywords or phrases.

Juan Loaiza, executive vice president of mission-critical

database technologies at Oracle, said the vector search

technology can be useful for asking complicated questions with a

lot of requirements or contingencies. For example, if a person

is searching a database of used cars and wants a sport utility

vehicle with a certain mileage and color, and would prefer

heated seats but is willing to trade that feature for lower

mileage, a traditional database technology might struggle to

understand what the user is looking for.

"It can get quite complicated to figure out what's in a

document, figure out what matters," Loaiza told Reuters in an

interview. "It's been difficult to do in databases because they

match one thing, and they'll filter stuff out, but then you

might have nothing."

Oracle is making the database technology available on its

own cloud computing service as well as through its cloud

database partners such as Microsoft ( MSFT ). Loaiza said Oracle

was not ready to disclose when it will available to companies to

run in their own private data centers.

Loaiza said the technology will be made available to

existing Oracle Database customers at no additional charge.