Workshop 9

Bridging Research, Software and Standards towards AI-Native networks

Tuesday, 2 June 2026, 14:00 – 17:30, room M1

Organisers

• Dimitris Tsolkas (Fogus Innovations & Services P.C., )
• Silvia Almagia (ETSI- European Telecommunications Standards Institute, )

Motivation and Background

Modern networks are rapidly evolving, driven by the need for scalable automation, real-time decision-making, and efficient management of increasingly complex infrastructures. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have become central enablers of these transformations, but their full potential can only be realized when research innovations, software frameworks, and global standards work hand in hand.
This workshop brings together perspectives from the research, software, and standards communities to foster knowledge exchange and contribute to shaping the AI-native network landscape. More specifically, the workshop weaves together related activities, insights, and directions emerged from recent activities in the ITU-T’s Focus Group on Autonomous and Intelligent Networks (FG-AINN), the TM Forum (TMF), the ETSI Software Development Groups, and the SNS-JU Reliable Software Networks WG (SNWG).
Participants will gain a holistic understanding of how AI can be operationalized across networks, from theoretical models to practical deployment, and how standardization can accelerate adoption while ensuring interoperability, security, and reliability.

Structure

Session 1 – Software and standards for AI-native networks

• Workshop introduction/ welcome
  • Dimitris Tsolkas and Silvia Almagia
• Invited talk | Dr Paul Harvey – School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow and vice-chair of ITU-T Focus Group AINN
  • Recent standardization activities on AI-enabled, autonomous network technologies and contributions towards the development of common understanding, frameworks, and technical recommendations for intelligent network operation, management, and orchestration.
• Invited talk | Dr. Ricard Vilalta – Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya
  • The role of AI in the evolution of autonomous networks, reflecting directions and insights from the related ETSI White paper as well as intelligent aspects considered in the ETSI SDGs.

• Invited talk | Dr. Mikko A. Uusitalo – Nokia Bell Labs Finland Site Lead

• • The role of AI in the evolution of networks. How to advance connectivity for the AI supercycle. Moving AI-RAN from vision to commercial reality. Preparing for physical AI and AI-native 6G. Redefining RAN and telco monetization based on Physical AI. Governing intent-based automation in AI-Native networks.
• Invited talk | Ioana Dragus – Realworld Eastern Europe, Bucharest, Romania
  • Recent activity in TM Forum around AI enablement of networks and services, based on the TMF missions on Autonomous Networks and AI&Data.

Session 2 – Research & innovation project results

• Advances in AI/ML Lifecycle Management and Agentic Communications.
  • AI/MLOps for AI-native 6G networks | Giacomo Bernini (Nextworks).
    • How AI/MLOps is becoming an essential enabler for AI-native 6G networks, reviewing relevant standards and introducing challenges and solutions towards distributed and decentralized AI/ML workloads management, AI/ML experimentation, and combined automation of ML and data operations.
    • Contributing projects: 6G-DALI, 6GCLOUD, UNITY-6G, ELASTIC-6G, 6G-XCEL, ADROIT-6G
  • Agentic AI and Agentic Communications | Christos Tranoris (University of Patras/ p-NET).
    • How Agentic AI can enhance service orchestration and provisioning and how we can bridge the gap from the reasoning part to the deterministic actions that orchestration needs.
    • Contributing projects: FIDAL, AMAZING-6G, SUNRISE-6G, FLECON-6G,6G-XCEL
• AI/ML for Networks and Services
  • AI for service orchestration | Maria A. Serrano (Nearby Computing SL)
    • The role of advanced AI techniques in enabling adaptive and intelligence-driven service orchestration for 6G networks. It focuses on how AI can address the increasing complexity of services, dynamic requirements, and diverse user intents, going beyond the capabilities of conventional AI approaches to support flexible, scalable, and context-aware orchestration.
    • Contributing projects: 6GCLOUD, UNITY-6G, 6G-TWIN, 6G-XCEL
  • Security-oriented AI/ML applications | Dr. Harilaos Koumaras (NCSR “Demokritos“).
    • Security-driven applications such as fraud detection, intrusion detection, and anomaly monitoring. Trust-related aspects, including model robustness, explainability, privacy preservation, and responsible AI deployment.
    • Contributing projects: 6G VERSUS, UNITY-6G, iTRUST6G
• Demos
  • Demo 1 | Vito Cianchini | UNITY-6G
    • From Data to Action: Agentic AI for Proactive CNF Orchestration in 6G Networks
  • Demo 2 | Andreas Gavrielides | 6G-XCEL
    • ZSM-driven, AI-native closed-loop automation
• Closing remarks
  • Dimitris Tsolkas and Silvia Almagia