Behind the Scenes: Building the Future with Extreme AI Expert | Extreme Networks

Welcome to the first installment of our new blog series, where I will be diving deep into the insights and discoveries we're making during the incubation process of Extreme AI Expert. Each post will take you through our experiences and lessons learned, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how this cutting-edge composite AI system is reshaping every experience we deliver to our customers and partners, setting new standards in the industry.

Before we dive in, let's quickly recap the key points from three of my previous blogs that laid the groundwork for this new series on AI Expert. I explored how AI can reimagine entire business experiences, the kind of AI architecture needed to support this transformation, and the role open innovation plays in AI development. The first blog delved into the transformative power of AI and how it can fundamentally reimagine business interactions, processes, and models. This concept is directly relevant to open innovation because it emphasizes the need for a holistic approach where AI is not just an add-on but a core component of business strategy.

The second blog discussed the technological underpinnings required for these transformative experiences, emphasizing that effective AI architecture should integrate all available technologies, not just rely on large language models (LLMs). Combining diverse tools and working like a human team is vital for achieving exponential AI capabilities. The third blog discussed how open innovation, inherently collaborative and decentralized, is an ideal approach for AI development. It allows companies to tap into a broader pool of ideas and expertise, breaking down silos and encouraging cross-pollination of knowledge. Combining AI with open innovation fosters a dynamic and responsive ecosystem that drives continuous improvement and innovation.

Now, let me return to the new blog series…

You might have seen Nabil Bukhari's recent LinkedIn post mentioning both Extreme Labs and Extreme Al Expert. Extreme Labs was created as a space where the future of IT can be imagined, innovated, created, and tested. Extreme Labs combines the creative talents of the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) with other subject matter experts from across Extreme Networks. By harnessing this diverse expertise, we develop prototypes that push technological boundaries and solve today's and tomorrow's IT challenges. Moreover, a key goal of Extreme Labs is to promote collaboration and co-innovation by partnering closely with our customers and partners, jointly pioneering new solutions.

Extreme AI Expert is a composite (or compound, depending on the definition) AI system designed to reimagine the customer and partner experiences across the entire Extreme Networks' portfolio of network and security solutions at every stage of their journey. The system handles knowledge questions using available public and private documentation and provides descriptive and predictive intelligence from operational data. This enables a higher degree of automation and the ability to optimize operations through "what-if" scenario planning. By accelerating and automating routine tasks, Extreme AI Expert frees up IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

The AI Expert initiative graduated into tech preview stage from the OCTO incubation process, where it was initially conceptualized and developed. This process involves rigorous innovation management, allowing new technologies to be tested and refined. Extreme Labs serves as the innovation hub to collaborate early, co-innovate with partners, demonstrate thought leadership, and gather early feedback. The incubation process ensures that the most promising innovations, like Extreme AI Expert, are brought to market, offering impactful solutions that drive significant operational efficiencies and optimizations in enterprise networking.

Beginning in July 2024, we launched a technical preview of Extreme AI Expert for Extreme employees and partners (being released in phases), marking the beginning of an exciting phase where we will rigorously evaluate the tool's effectiveness and efficiency in addressing user needs. As there was and is no true reference point on how users are going to leverage these systems, our goal is to use the wisdom of the crowd which will swell up to thousands of users once fully rolled out. Motivating users and incentivizing them without creating bias in their usage was the initial hurdle that we had to overcome.

Stay tuned for more on topic and the first results - and how we measure success in my next blog.

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