June 2026

The data is clear: autonomous network configuration is technically possible, but organizationally, culturally, and philosophically, most teams aren’t there.

There’s a version of the AI-powered network that vendors love to describe. Autonomous agents detect anomalies, diagnose root causes, push configuration changes, and self-heal, all before a human engineer even gets a Slack notification. It’s a compelling vision. It’s also almost entirely fiction for the vast majority of network teams operating today.

There is an old orchard technique where a young branch is gently bent downward and held in place, training it to grow outward rather than straight up. The idea is simple: make the fruit accessible to everyone, without needing a ladder or any climbing. Network automation needs the same thing right now, and AI is the tool that can finally bend the branch low enough for every network engineer to reach it.