SAS – a pioneer in data and AI solutions – has unveiled a game-changing approach for organisations to tackle business challenges head-on. Introducing lightweight, industry-specific AI models for individual license, SAS is equipping organisations with readily deployable AI technology to productionise real-world use cases with unparalleled efficiency.

AI software provider SAS is uniquely positioned to flex its decades of expertise in applying scalable and trustworthy AI models for prominent global financial, health care, and manufacturing brands, as well as government institutions.

“SAS is evolving its portfolio to meet wider user needs and capture market share with innovative new offerings,” said Chandana Gopal, Research Director, Future of Intelligence, IDC. “An area that is ripe for SAS is productising models built on SAS’ core assets, talent and IP from its wealth of experience working with customers to solve industry problems.”

In today’s market, the consumption of models is primarily focused on large language models (LLMs) for generative AI. In reality, LLMs are a very small part of the modeling needs of real-world production deployments of AI and decision making for businesses. With the new offering, SAS is moving beyond LLMs and delivering industry-proven deterministic AI models for industries that span use cases such as fraud detection, supply chain optimisation, entity management, document conversation and health care payment integrity and more.

Unlike traditional AI implementations that can be cumbersome and time-consuming, SAS’ industry-specific models are engineered for quick integration, enabling organisations to operationalise trustworthy AI technology and accelerate the realisation of tangible benefits and trusted results.

Expanding market footprint

Organisations are facing pressure to compete effectively and are looking to AI to gain an edge. At the same time, staffing data science teams has never been more challenging due to AI skills shortages. Consequently, businesses are demanding agility in using AI to solve problems and require flexible AI solutions to quickly drive business outcomes. SAS’ easy-to-use, yet powerful models tuned for the enterprise enable organisations to benefit from a half-century of SAS’ leadership across industries.

Delivering industry models as packaged offerings is one outcome of SAS’ commitment of $1 billion to AI-powered industry solutions. As outlined in the May 2023 announcement, the investment in AI builds on SAS’ decades long focus on providing packaged solutions to address industry challenges in banking, government, health care and more.

“Models are the perfect complement to our existing solutions and SAS Viya platform offerings and cater to diverse business needs across various audiences, ensuring that innovation reaches every corner of our ecosystem,” said Udo Sglavo, Vice President for AI and Analytics, SAS. “By tailoring our approach to understanding specific industry needs, our frameworks empower businesses to flourish in their distinctive environments.”

Bringing AI to the masses

SAS is democratising AI by offering out-of-the-box, lightweight AI models – making AI accessible regardless of skill set – starting with an AI assistant for warehouse space optimisation. Leveraging technology like large language models, these assistants cater to nontechnical users, translating interactions into optimised workflows seamlessly and aiding in faster planning decisions.

“SAS Models provide organisations with flexible, timely and accessible AI that aligns with industry challenges,” said Sglavo. “Whether you’re embarking on your AI journey or seeking to accelerate the expansion of AI across your enterprise, SAS offers unparalleled depth and breadth in addressing your business’s unique needs.”

The first SAS Models are expected to be generally available later this year. Learn more about SAS Applied AI and Modeling here: https://blogs.sas.com/content/tag/applied-ai-modeling/.

This announcement was made at SAS Innovate, the data and AI experience for business leaders, technical users and SAS Partners.