After AI Investigations, NRTC Considering Enhancements in 2025

As the pages of our electronic calendars turned, artificial intelligence technology seemed to appear out of nowhere and establish itself as an everyday part of American life. NRTC, however, has not let AI take it by surprise. It has been looking at the potential ways that AI could help its members’ telecommunications and utility operations. The coming year could see NRTC introduce AI enhancements to some solutions.

“I think most people are at the stage where they know the world’s changing and changing fast. There’ll be different opinions on how much and how material that change will be, but they know the change is coming,” said Ted Solomon, NRTC’s VP, Strategy & Corporate Development. We all need to be thinking about how we can use AI increase our personal productivity and how to integrate AI into our systems and processes to yield efficiencies and innovation.”

NRTC in late 2023 assembled a team with representatives from each of its business units to take a close look at potential AI changes. The group began by breaking into three areas of investigation. Eric Christoffersen, VP, IT and Development, searched the available AI tools and platforms; Casey Schwieterman, learning and development manager in the HR department, began looking at training, and Solomon led the team cataloging use cases.

Early in the process, the team identified 70 use cases, and began analyzing AI in practice on two tracks: What AI tools will NRTC staff require to improve work efficiency, and what might NRTC do to help its members?

For internal use, the group looked at tools that could, for example, assist the marketing department generate images and compose copy, and let the IT department simplify documentation development and code reviews.

Turning to areas where AI could improve for efficiencies in its services, the team is developing tools to improve customer service and help desk operations, and to improve efficiency and save costs building and maintaining broadband networks.

The team through the course of 2024 has rolled out AI tools to staff, trained them on these tools, and established policies for acceptable use of AI. Many have been using Microsoft tools, such as Copilot and Azure, for several months. After this rollout, the focus has been on developing customized apps in a lab environment since about mid-year.

Of course, this is only the beginning. Eventually AI will influence all NRTC members and employees in many ways. NRTC will continue to envision and develop further ways AI could benefit of its membership. Solomon said that most NRTC members understand the potential AI holds for them, but also see risks they find daunting.

“I think that’s what we’re hearing the most. That’s why we really think we can help them,” he said.