In this session, Mike Hoffman, co-founder of NetAI, discusses the critical role of deterministic root cause analysis as a prerequisite for safe autonomous network operations. He explains why current AIOps solutions still necessitate manual intervention and how NetAI’s graph neural network (GNN) technology provides a verifiable diagnostic layer that bridges the gap between observability and automated action. Hoffman draws on his extensive industry experience to highlight the evolution of troubleshooting and the current industry stall where traditional AIOps tools often provide only best-guess scenarios rather than definitive answers.

The presentation argues that the fundamental flaw in modern network management is the reliance on manual workflows and reactive tools that fail to provide actionable intelligence. Hoffman contrasts NetAI's approach with Large Language Models, noting that while LLMs excel at processing words, networks are inherently graphs composed of complex relationships between nodes and edges. By utilizing a GNN-based engine, NetAI maintains a constant understanding of network topology and data flows, allowing the system to recognize anomalies firsthand. This architectural choice eliminates the need to rely on secondhand alerts from disparate devices, which often lead to the chair swivel effect where operators must jump between multiple point tools to verify issues.

By providing a deterministic layer between observability and automation, NetAI claims to achieve accelerated mean time to repair, often resolving correlation and root cause analysis within seconds rather than minutes or hours. Hoffman emphasizes that autonomous operations are unattainable without a foundation of trust, which can only be built through verifiable accuracy. NetAI’s goal is to replace the traditional process of elimination with a precise diagnostic that identifies the specific root cause capable of clearing thousands of downstream tickets. This high level of precision aims to give operators the confidence to move away from best-guess troubleshooting and toward a truly autonomous, self-healing network environment.

Presented by Mike Hoffman, Co-Founder. Recorded live at Networking Field Day 40 in San Jose on April 10, 2026. Watch the entire presentation at https://techfieldday.com/appearance/netai-presents-at-networking-field-day-40/ or visit https://TechFieldDay.com/event/nfd40 or https://NetAI.ai for more information.