I recently attended the first Open AI Cellular (OAIC) workshop held on August 9-10, 2023 at Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus. This hybrid event brought together experts in AI and wireless networks, both in-person and virtually via Zoom.

The hands-on sessions were extremely valuable in learning how to leverage OAIC's open-source platforms for integrating AI into cellular networks. We explored the capabilities of OAIC-T, an AI testing framework for O-RAN xApps. Through tutorials, we gained practical experience in programming AI-driven controllers and testing them.

I'm very grateful to the organizers for putting together this impactful workshop: Dr. Bo Tang, Dr. Vuk Marojevic, Dr. Nishith Tripathi, Dr. Joseph Gaeddert, Dr. Vijay Shah, Professor Jeff Reed and my colleague MohammadReza Kouchaki. Getting to connect with so many leaders in this field was inspiring.

The inaugural OAIC-T event earlier this year was also a huge success with over 50 in-person attendees. It provided an engaging, hands-on look at installing OAIC-T and testing the KPIMON xApp. Initiatives like these are pivotal for advancing open AI integration in real-world cellular networks.

I highly recommend that anyone involved in wireless networks or AI register for the next OAIC workshop. Exploring the automated, distributed and AI-enhanced testing possible with OAIC-T is an invaluable experience. Events like this move us closer to more intelligent, software-defined networks.