I get extra excited every single day as I study one thing new. Nevertheless, I even have my justifiable share of issues in regards to the future—particularly on the subject of AI and the way it will influence the position of community engineers. Okay… I most likely have extra than my justifiable share of issues. (That gained’t come as a shock if you happen to’ve been following the previous few years of my journey, exploring the “AI FUTURE!!!”)
First off, I need to be very clear. I’m excited about the way forward for community engineering, community automation, and my place on this great world and neighborhood. In actual fact, my current weblog, Navigating the AI Period as a CCIE, discusses how superior it’s to be a CCIE proper now.
I usually give attention to the place I see the constructive prospects. How AI could make our lives and work as community engineers higher.
However in the present day, I need to speak about one thing that worries me: how the AI future is being mentioned and described. My hope is that by discussing it, we will keep away from the worst doable dystopian imaginative and prescient of that future. Whereas I like studying books or watching films about these dystopian futures (a responsible pleasure of mine), I don’t need to reside in a kind of worlds. I’m additionally hoping that you just, my neighborhood, may also help me perceive whether or not my concern about the way forward for AI is overblown. So, let’s dive in, lets?
I don’t need to be an AI babysitter…
There’s a phrase that has been displaying up in shows, blogs, articles, movies, press releases, authorities documentation, and nearly in all places else discussing how AI will influence the way forward for work. The phrase refers to an method known as “human-in-the-loop.”
So, what is “human-in-the-loop?”
I simply did a Google seek for “‘human within the loop’ ai cisco” and Gemini was useful in giving me this abstract:
Cisco emphasizes “human-in-the-loop” AI, which means integrating human oversight and suggestions into AI programs to make sure accountability, moral concerns, and dependable decision-making, particularly in areas like safety and information evaluation.
That doesn’t sound dangerous, proper? Right here’s one other snippet from a paper I not too long ago learn on AI and the way forward for job roles:
The extent to which it [Gen AI] can exchange people within the office will rely upon the need for human oversight of machine-performed duties.
Little question you’ve seen or heard related descriptions of what it is going to take to “safely” combine AI into day-to-day duties. Right here’s my understanding of why human-in-the-loop comes up time and again in discussions.
It comes down to a couple factors:
- Utilizing AI gives a “worth” companies can NOT ignore. What that worth is can differ, but it surely usually comes down to hurry: AI is solely sooner than people.
- AI isn’t at all times proper. And AI can’t be held accountable for errors.
- By having a human log out on the AI work, errors might be caught. And in the event that they aren’t, there may be somebody to be held accountable.
I’m NOT saying that the above factors are factually legitimate. In actual fact, every of these statements on their very own deserves a variety of deep consideration and dialogue. However for the sake of this weblog publish, let’s take them as they sit to additional discover my issues a couple of future the place Hank is a “human within the loop” for AI programs.
Right here’s the issue with “human-in-the-loop”
I like being a community engineer. I like creating community designs to fulfill enterprise calls for. I get pleasure from creating configurations and engineering strong routing protocols. I discover the method of troubleshooting a community difficulty rewarding.
I’ve spent years of my life studying the abilities it takes to DO community engineering. And I nonetheless have a few years forward of me as a community engineer. I even have so much to supply the businesses, networks, and crew members I’ll work with sooner or later.
Each description I’ve learn or heard about “human within the loop” locations the human close to or on the finish of “the loop.” An AI device is posed an issue, query, or set of information to work on. Then, AI generates its answer, which is then despatched to a human to evaluation, settle for, reject, or make adjustments.
After I take into consideration this idea, I can’t assist however conjure up an image of row after row of people spending their days listening for the “ding” of a brand new proposed AI work merchandise, ready for the human to do their factor so the AI can proceed on its “loop,” finishing the work. That simply doesn’t sound like the longer term community engineer I need to be.
Which is able to come first: AI or expertise?
There’s something else I ponder about on this “human within the loop” imaginative and prescient of the longer term. A human community engineer’s skill to establish a mistake made by AI depends on whether or not that community engineer has made that very same mistake prior to now. Or, on the very least, they want sufficient community engineering expertise to note when one thing is improper.
As of now, we’ve skilled community engineers who can “oversee” AI brokers and establish potential points. Heck, that’s half of what senior community engineers and CCIEs do anyway: help the up-and-coming community engineers on our crew by reviewing their work and serving to them study from their errors.
However how will future up-and-coming community engineers acquire the expertise of being a community engineer if they’re merely a cog in “the loop?”
And sure, I’m totally conscious that that is an excessive instance and never what folks imply once they say “human within the loop” or “human oversight.” Regardless, it’s essential that we think about one of these excessive consequence now, when the way forward for community engineering is being written. As a result of I completely suppose there’s a approach this narrative may be circled—a future imaginative and prescient the place community engineers proceed to be community engineers greater than in title solely.
Let’s flip it round: “AI-in-the-loop”
I suggest that we invert the loop. Make no mistake—synthetic intelligence completely gives worth to community engineers doing community engineering jobs day in and time out. In actual fact, I take advantage of it myself. However I take advantage of AI as a useful resource—like some other—at my disposal.
Suppose I’m known as in to troubleshoot an intermittent routing drawback at our Web edge. Utilizing my well-worn community troubleshooting expertise, I collect particulars in regards to the difficulty, carry out completely different assessments, and attempt to replicate it. I examine operational output from the routers and have a look at our community administration programs. Possibly I ask round, “What modified?”
And if everybody tells me, “Nothing. Nothing modified.” I then ask, “Nicely, what modified earlier than nothing modified?”
As I do all of this, I leverage many instruments and sources. I’ll seek the advice of our inside documentation in regards to the community. I’ll evaluation the current change requests. I’d head over to Cisco.com and seek for error messages or eventualities. (Nicely… no, I’ll most likely go to my favourite search engine and seek for error messages and eventualities. 🙂 )
It’s right here, throughout this a part of my work, the place I’ll deliver AI into “the loop.” Not solely is AI quick, but it surely has been skilled on and has immediate entry to all types of helpful information that’s related to my work.
AI-in-the-loop: A device for community engineers
I could also be struggling to recollect the precise present command to show all the small print in regards to the BGP prefixes discovered by my router. Or I’ll need to arrange a filtered packet seize and am on the lookout for an instance configuration. Or I’m reviewing a whole bunch of traces of debug messages and will use assist in rapidly discovering the anomalies. These are examples the place AI could make ME a greater, extra environment friendly community engineer.
You see, I’m a community engineer. I’m a fairly first rate community engineer. I’ve typed tens of millions of CLI instructions with my fingers, seen numerous pings drop, configured routing protocols, entry management lists, VPNs, coverage maps, EtherChannels, and so forth and so forth. However I’m nonetheless only a human, not a pc. I’ll not have immediate entry to every part buried in my mind, however I do know when the reply is in there. I do know that if I see the right reply (or one thing shut), I can acknowledge it and get to the answer. It’s the identical cause an skilled community engineer can resolve a posh drawback with one internet search and a look at a discussion board publish or Cisco command reference.
We should always keep within the driver’s seat. We should always keep accountable for the networks and the community engineering. We should always embrace the capabilities of AI to enhance our community engineering work. AI shouldn’t be utilizing us to enhance its community engineering work—we must be utilizing AI as a useful resource to develop into more practical community engineers—now and into the longer term.
Actually Hank… is that every one AI must be?
So, you is likely to be considering:
Oh, Hank, you good outdated boomer community engineer. Get with the instances… AI gives us far more than only a next-generation search engine!
Sure, it completely does—and I’m enthusiastic about a variety of the enhancements to the programs and software program we use every single day. To not point out the fully new programs and software program which are enabled by AI. Simply Cisco’s bulletins within the AI area this previous 12 months excited me about its potential for community engineers.
Simply think about what we’ll be capable of do sooner or later. For the reason that first community engineer began capturing log information, we’ve acknowledged that it’s almost unimaginable for a human engineer to make sense of the flood of data in any well timed style. Consider all of the outages that might have been prevented if we had been capable of finding the small and early hints buried in counters, NetFlow information, and log particulars. As for safety… wow. There may be a lot potential within the safety area to establish and reply sooner.
Embedding AI capabilities into networking merchandise will give us an enormous enhance as community engineers. However this additionally isn’t something all that new. For a few years now, machine studying capabilities have been added and iterated on to boost the community assurance options for the campus, WAN, and information heart. They’re getting a brand new enhance from the GenAI hype and buzz proper now, however most of them aren’t GenAI.
One thing is coming to the community engineers’ world that pertains to GenAI that has me very, very excited. Pure Language Interface, or NLI, will quickly be part of the a lot liked and lauded Command Line Interface (CLI) and the slightly-bummed-it-isn’t-the-new-kid-on-the-block-anymore Utility Programming Interface (API) as strategies community engineers work together with the gadgets and programs we handle. And that might be superior. Really, a recreation changer.
Sure, a part of turning into a community engineer is studying all the precise instructions required to make the community work. When community engineers collect collectively and share battle tales, somebody will at all times complain (lovingly) about the way it is not sensible that it’s “ip ospf authentication-key” however “ip authentication mode eigrp,” and why can’t they only be the identical?! And we’ll chuckle and chuckle and chuckle.
However let’s be trustworthy. It isn’t memorizing particular command line syntax that makes us community engineers. It’s realizing how, why, and when we have to configure authentication for our routing protocol that’s necessary. Gained’t we be a lot happier once we can merely inform our router:
“Allow authentication for EIGRP and OSPF on all interfaces. EIGRP ought to use md5 with key-chain 5, and OSPF wants to make use of plaintext due to the legacy system we’re linked to.”
Certain, some community engineers will grumble and say issues like “again in my day.” However I do know I’ll be happier for all of it.
So what now?
So what now, you ask? Nicely, I need to hear what you all suppose. Don’t be shy. For those who suppose I’m overreacting, please inform me. For those who share my issues, let me know I’m not alone. What excites you about the way forward for community engineering with an AI assistant in your pocket? Are there some duties you may’t await AI to take over for you? Go away a remark under to let me know your ideas!
Within the meantime, listed below are some strategies for glorious locations to study extra about AI and begin constructing expertise. As a result of there may be one factor I’m completely positive of… AI is coming, and we gotta be prepared for it.
- Spend about 45 minutes Understanding AI and LLMs as a Community Engineer with this nice tutorial by Kareem Iskander.
- Make investments extra time on this glorious Community Academy course, Introduction to Trendy AI, with my new favourite teacher, Eddy Shyu. (Don’t let the truth that it’s on Community Academy scare you away. It’s implausible for anybody trying to get a strong basis in AI.)
- Dive in deep and “Rev Up” your recertification journey (34 Persevering with Schooling credit!) with AI Options on Cisco Infrastructure Necessities. Free in Cisco U. till April 26, 2025, and with content material and movies from 5xCCIE (and my hero) Ahmed Moftah.
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