2026-09-23 –, ROOM ALFA
AI is already changing how networks are operated, how traffic is generated and where infrastructure is built. But for network operators, the real question is not whether AI matters. It is where the value will move. This panel looks at AI from three angles: as an operational tool, as a new driver of traffic and infrastructure, and as a potential threat to the traditional role of the operator.
AI is entering the operator industry from several directions at once.
It can assist engineers, troubleshoot networks and increasingly take operational actions. At the same time, AI workloads are reshaping compute, interconnection and traffic demand. Beyond the technical impact lies a larger question: does AI strengthen the position of network operators, or make connectivity an even more invisible commodity?
The discussion brings together three different perspectives: Andrian Visnevschi on AI and network operations, Alissa Sõtsjova of Tele2 Eesti on connectivity and interconnection, and Zac Smith on infrastructure built for an increasingly AI-driven Internet.
Zachary Smith is the CEO of Datum, where he focuses on building the open, interconnected infrastructure powering the next generation of cloud and AI platforms. A veteran of the internet infrastructure industry, Zachary has spent over two decades building Internet infrastructure and the software that powers it. Prior to leading Datum, he co-founded Packet (acquired by Equinix) and was an early leader of Linux hosting innovator, Voxel dot Net.
Zachary serves on the Board of Directors of Nexcess, Wasabi Technologies, 1NCE and the Danish 1st Division soccer club, Akademisk Boldklub.
Alfredo Giordano is founder and CEO of Warian, an European managed infrastructure provider working across networks, cloud and AI. An engineer by training, he has more than twenty years of international experience in network design, operations and the development of Internet service providers. He is Vice President of OpenAccess Italia and a board member of NaMeX. His current work focuses on carrier-grade infrastructure, interconnection, digital sovereignty and the practical adoption of AI by network operators. Active in the European networking community, he contributes to industry discussions on resilience, regulation and the evolution of operators beyond connectivity. In 2026, he was awarded with the America's Innovation prize from the Italy-USA cooperation Foundation.
Andrian Visnevschi is the founder, CEO and CTO of ITcare, a managed NOC and network engineering company working with ISPs, data center operators and hosting providers across North America and Europe. He holds JNCIE-SP #2975 and has spent more than 15 years in service provider networking, starting in hands-on routing and switching operations and moving through architecture and integration work on IP/MPLS backbones, EVPN-VXLAN fabrics, multicast VPN deployments and network automation.
For the past few years his team has been building and running an AI NetOps assistant inside ITcare's own NOC, which is the subject of this talk. He is a co-founder of MDNOG, the Moldova Network Operators Group.
Alissa is an Enterprise Sales Manager at Tele2 Eesti, managing telecom projects and connectivity solutions including Mobile and Internet Communication, IP transit, Ethernet, and other transport services. She focuses on identifying new business opportunities and bridging commercial strategy with technical network Delivery.