ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) for network operations. It defines and discusses the zero-touch network and identifies how software-defined networking (SDN) and AI are together providing the core technology and intelligence to make such networks a reality. The chapter presents a background overview of the tasks involved in operating a network. It provides the "zero-touch network" vision—how AI and SDN are revolutionizing how networks are operated. The chapter discusses the technologies required and the journey that the industry is on to realize this vision. It describes the impact that this has on operations teams, and how their role evolves as the zero-touch network is realized. In a zero-touch network, network provisioning is a fully automated process—determining where and when network capacity should be deployed, deploying the network functions and then executing "test and turn up" before declaring the network functions ready for carrying production traffic.
