From automation to autonomy: Building AI-native network operations

Chair: George Glass, CTO, TM Forum

9:00 - 9:15
From closed loops to autonomous enterprises 
As CSPs accelerate towards AI-native operations, the industry is moving beyond isolated automation use cases towards autonomous, intent-driven operational models. This session explores how operators are evolving from traditional OSS automation to AI-native operations that can predict, decide, and act in real time - enabling autonomous assurance, optimization, and decision-making at scale. 

• What changes when operations become AI-native 
• How to measure real autonomy (ANLAV and beyond) 
• Why trust - not ‘lights out’ - defines Level 4 
• What convergence (AN + ODA + AI-native) means in practice 

George Glass, CTO, TM Forum

9:15 - 9:45
Panel: Can we trust autonomous networks?
As AI begins making operational recommendations and decisions inside telecom environments, CSPs must rethink operational trust, governance, and workforce transformation. This panel explores how operators are introducing AI into live operations - from copilots to autonomous decisioning - and what it takes to run AI-native networks with confidence, balancing speed, risk, and control. 

• Who owns the decision - humans or AI? 
• How far can autonomy go without breaking trust? 
• What governance looks like in AI-native operations 
• What changes for people, not just platforms 

Moderator: George Glass, CTO, TM Forum 
Panelists include:
Peter Briscoe, VP, Head of Pre-Sales, Blue Planet (a division of Ciena)
Matt Olson, Global Strategist, Communications and Media, Splunk (a Cisco company)

Please note: All topics and timings are provisional and may be subject to change.