I am airborne on my return flight from the annual Internet2 Community Exchange in Chicago, where approximately 500 leaders from the Research and Education (R&E) community met to do what they do best: exchange viewpoints and best practices.
The DNA of the R&E world has deep roots in collaboration and an authentic desire to serve the missions of the institutions that increasingly rely on it. The social interaction with my colleagues at these events is special at this point in my career. Their support over the years cannot be underestimated, and our trust in each other builds the essential foundation for further collaboration. I will mention a few highlights that give a sense of the many interactions I had this past week.
I was ready for AI and Quantum everywhere, and I was not disappointed. Each of these subjects was addressed with pragmatic and thoughtful respect. The opening keynote hit a particular favorite AI topic for me — the human question. The speaker was Adam Kronk from the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good at Notre Dame. His talk broke down the ethical considerations in AI development at a university. He emphasized the idea that all of us who are implementing AI should ask the question, “To what end?” He extrapolated that question with deep introspection in myriad areas, not only stopping on the goals of the technical project, but also the consequences on the human side. For those who want to look deeper, see Delta: A Faith-Based Framework for AI Ethics. I personally enjoy exploring these kinds of topics in AI as they provide important context for the technical train ride we are on.
I also had a great time sitting with Joe Mambretti, the Director of Advanced Internet Research at Northwestern, at the Leadership Exchange. He has been a fixture in our world since the Exchange’s founding some 30 years ago and has a deep appreciation for what we have built together, coupled with strong contributions to present-day innovations such as 1.2 Terabit optical transport and the research behind combining Quantum Network flows with classical waves. This is a great example of a highlight that wasn’t on the published agenda!
As the event came to a close, my last session was a panel of colleagues working on Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations. Given that it was the last session on the last day, I was struck by the fact that the room was full! MCP is an important development to unlock a Natural Language Model (NLM) like ChatGPT or Claude to work in an environment like telecom or IT. It does the translation into the unique words and concepts of our world, something my family could have used all these years! MCPs are popping up all over the industry and are an important step to help us corral the complexity of an AI overlay on our networks.
The impression I immediately had was nostalgic, looking at the evolution of innovation over the years that sees us moving from carrying bits in a basic IP transport fabric to developing AI Frameworks for automated network operations. This panel showed developments they are using to build a new suite of tools to leverage AI through an NLM. As always, they offered collaboration opportunities, one of which OSHEAN is already involved in. This session was an exemplary microcosm of the innovation and collaboration of the event and the R&E community at work.
When I go to our national events, I always wish all OSHEAN members could get to experience it just once to really understand the breadth and depth of our mission and the people behind it.