There is little doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) is here for the long haul. From promising advances that streamline once cumbersome processes to new opportunities for innovation and efficiency, AI has reshaped workflows across industries since the introduction of accessible large language models in the early 2020s.
For AARNet, the organisation that provides Australia’s high-capacity network and digital infrastructure for the research and education sector, the focus has been on exploring how recent breakthroughs in AI can be applied thoughtfully and effectively across the organisation to support operations and deliver positive outcomes.
To assess the feasibility of how AI could be leveraged to enhance its operations, while also engaging with the academic side of research and development, AARNet enlisted the expertise of Uyen Tu Bao, a Central Queensland University (CQU) postgraduate researcher. The placement was facilitated by APR.Intern and joint funded in full by CQU and the Women in STEM & Entrepreneurship (WiSE) grants program.
Background
Uyen has long had an interest in telecommunications. While completing her Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electronics and Telecommunications) at Ho Chi Minh’s Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, she worked to strengthen her knowledge with two Cisco network qualifications, “This was all to prepare myself for a future career in networking,” she notes.
Once Uyen commenced her Masters by Research at CQU she began to pursue relevant industrial opportunities. This is when she first learned about APR.Intern. “I found an article published on my university website about a funded internship programme for PhD and Masters by Research students. Until that point, I had never seen an internship position specifically for research students.
“With my prototype, there is a human who is always in the loop. This is a critical aspect of working with AI. It [AI] has a strong potential to enhance AARNet’s operations, particularly when integrated in a way that supports, rather than replaces, human operations.”
Uyen Tu Bao
“I immediately went to my academic supervisor, Professor Santoso Wibowo, for more information — he told me that the internship could aid my research if a suitable opportunity arose.”
Uyen then reached out to APR.Intern who mentioned a placement opportunity at AARNet. “This was my first time learning about the network [AARNet], but it sounded like a great fit,” says Uyen. “As I wasn’t familiar with them, I did some research to figure out how I could best offer my knowledge.”
Objective
Following a successful application, Uyen began a three-month placement with AARNet. “The first phase was the most challenging”, she says. “My supervisor, Chris Fegan, and I had to ensure everything was in place before we could begin. At this point, we had a rough sketch of objectives… We worked together to formulate a clear strategy that would make the most of my time there.”
Uyen now had a clear objective: to investigate how AI could be leveraged to enhance and transform operational capabilities and improve the staff experience at AARNet. If successful, her findings could be used as a guide to reduce manual effort, improve situational awareness, and assist in difficult decision-making scenarios.
This would be achieved through three strands:
- Conduct a literature review into the use of AI in Network Operations Centres.
- Build an understanding of AARNet’s operational context to inform a review of its technical tooling and data systems. This would assess the suitability of introducing AI-driven techniques.
- Demonstrate a proof of concept to show the potential use of AI-assisted workflows in the domain of network operations.
Results
Deriving meaningful and usable results from her research was demanding. It required a clear grasp of how AI operates in work environments and a comprehensive understanding of the Network’s operational context.
“Many of the tasks in AARNet’s Network Operations Centre are performed manually. Engineers are on call 24 hours a day to solve any network problems which may arise,” she says. “As much as I wanted to reduce the burden on these engineers with the introduction of AI-enhanced tools and processes, I realised that AI processes need a human ‘brake’ to limit what we call ‘hallucinations’ — plausible but false information generated by AI.”
Uyen completed her internship with the delivery of a proof-of-concept human-centric, AI-assisted prototype designed to aid AARNet’s operational needs. “This gives them a clear picture of what AI can do and how it behaves within their context,” she says.
“This work highlighted the need to balance innovation with strong governance, ensuring any AI we deploy delivers clear value, manages risk, and scales in a way our people can confidently support.”
Chris Fegan, Technology Strategy Manager at AARNet
“With my prototype, there is a human who is always in the loop. This is a critical aspect of working with AI. It [AI] has a strong potential to enhance AARNet’s operations, particularly when integrated in a way that supports, rather than replaces, human operations.”
The prototype was successful. It simulated realistic Network Operations Centre scenarios using representative data, showcasing how AI can assist in daily tasks such as log analysis, anomaly detection and contextual information retrieval.
Feedback
Uyen’s research has provided AARNet with the necessary knowledge and tools to adopt some form of AI assistance. Commenting on Uyen’s work, Chris Fegan, Technology Strategy Manager at AARNet said: “The opportunity with AI is significant, but so is the responsibility. This work highlighted the need to balance innovation with strong governance, ensuring any AI we deploy delivers clear value, manages risk, and scales in a way our people can confidently support.”
Uyen is proud of her work. Already, it has attracted plenty of attention from fellow researchers: “After working with AARNet, two students from the University of Wollongong and another student from CQU reached out… for advice on how I approached my research and how they could find placements similar to mine.”
Today, Uyen finds herself completing her Master’s thesis which focuses on integrating AI into the IT outsourcing sector. While this research is slightly removed from her work with AARNet, she’s confident that her thesis will be stronger because of her time there, “My work there is certainly helping my thesis. I’ve gained insights from the project that are informing and supporting my thesis work.”
Commenting on the importance of Uyen’s research, Stacey Hansen, Business Development and Administration at APR.Intern, said: “Uyen was enthusiastic, professional and thoughtful right from our first conversation, and very clear about how she felt she could make a meaningful contribution to the project.
“AARNet was also an exceptional industry host; professional, organised, and genuinely invested in providing a valuable internship experience. It was fantastic to see such a strong collaboration develop around such an important and evolving area of AI.”
Media Enquiries:
Robbie Byrne
Marketing, Communications and Events Coordinator, AMSI
robbie.byrne@amsi.org.au
