--- title: What Are the Top 3 Trends for AI in Telecom in 2023? date: 2023-03-16T09:06:00-07:00 author: Ash Kreider canonical_url: "https://www.iqmetrix.com/blog/post-mwc-what-are-the-top-3-trends-for-ai-in-telecom-in-2023" section: Blog --- - [ ](http://twitter.com/iQmetrix) - [ ](https://www.facebook.com/pages/iQmetrix/167877886558671) - [ ](http://www.linkedin.com/company/iqmetrix) - [ ](http://www.youtube.com/user/iQmetrixCorp) - [ ](https://www.instagram.com/iqmetrix/) [Back](https://www.iqmetrix.com/resources/blog) ## Thanks to [text-generating tools like ChatGPT](https://www.iqmetrix.com/blog/what-happened-when-we-got-chatgpt-to-pitch-blog-post-ideas), the last six months have seen an explosion in conversations about AI. AI was also one of the hot topics at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, [featuring as a topic in many major keynotes](https://aibusiness.com/verticals/5-key-ai-takeaways-from-mwc-2023). While many companies shied away from specifics, [Qualcomm’s R&D announcements at the show](https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2023/02/mobile-world-congress-2023-qualcomm-demos-5g-advanced-to-6g) included native support for AI applications on smartphones (rather than having to run them from the cloud). Also included in their announcements, an intention to focus on AI as a component of 5G Advanced, saying AI ​“will play an essential role in the design and operations of 5G Advanced and beyond”. Unsurprising given that network operations is one of the most compelling use-cases for AI in telecom, as [the growth of network complexity](https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=2FWWnFZIH-wLGOotf_sI1xxZCaK9UqXtZuyT-rOykhsg-sGaQBduyjVqkNJbpCnskPx2ldGG-3PfH89S6zWVORVGv1r3MduMKK7sXHHqiYnLysbdTIAyjoCRDLSm14hOpz4Mu2JMnl4pKR32aa_Z9AtMH0igPCgz3bqf6uCTkiM=) is rapidly outpacing the ability of humans to keep up with the operational decision-making required to optimize network resources. *So what are the top trends to be aware of for AI in telecom in 2023?* ## AI is already here, and it’s delivering results. AI isn’t some hypothetical future state of telecom – it’s already here are delivering benefits for the earliest adopters. [In a recent survey of telecom industry professionals](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/lp/industries/telecommunications/state-of-ai-in-telecom-survey-report/) who are responsible for implementing AI technologies, one-third (34%) respondents said their company had been using AI for more than six months. Nearly another third (31%) said they were still in the research or assessment phase. Only 5% of respondents said that their company was not using or planning to use AI. Telecom companies that have [trialed or implemented AI](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/lp/industries/telecommunications/state-of-ai-in-telecom-survey-report/) have seen real impacts on both profits and cost reduction; 73% of respondents said their companies had seen increased annual revenue, and 80% said they had seen reduced costs. The biggest areas of focus for the next year were network operations and customer experience optimization. Additionally, [there are also compelling use cases](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/how-ai-is-helping-revolutionize-telco-service-operations) for telecom operators looking to optimize operations, improve front-line customer service, and improve decision-making through predictive analytics. ## AI will be used to fight growing rates of scams and cyber-attacks. Globally, the incidence of cyber-attacks continues to grow at a wild rate. A report by cybersecurity provider Radware showed that the second half of 2022 saw a 203% increase in volumetric DDOS attacks over the first half of 2022. The past few years has also shown massive grown in spam and scam SMS messages and robocalls, which [has the FCC considering rules](https://www.rcrwireless.com/20230223/policy/fcc-considers-new-rules-to-block-unusual-sus-texts) requiring service providers to block traffic that is most likely to be fraudulent. The sheer volume of malicious and fraudulent activity has many companies [investigating AI for implementation of more advanced cybersecurity solutions](https://www.wwt.com/article/global-service-provider-2023-industry-trends) that can use AI to block malicious network activity. AI also can provide early detection of threats, allowing human cybersecurity teams to respond quickly to threats as they emerge. ## Regulation of AI will become more common as regulators catch up with real-world impacts. As with any new technology, there can be serious problems when AI is implemented without due consideration for ethics and potential real-world impacts. Some of the most widespread concerns to be aware of regarding increased use of AI technologies are concerns about [privacy, ethics, and increased algorithmic bias](https://aiindex.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-AI-Index-Report_Master.pdf). Out of all of these, algorithmic bias is perhaps the most concerning as it is already causing real world harms. Commercial facial recognition systems have been shown to [discriminate based on race](http://proceedings.mlr.press/v81/buolamwini18a/buolamwini18a.pdf), resume screening systems [discriminate on gender](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-jobs-automation-insight/amazon-scraps-secret-ai-recruiting-tool-that-showed-bias-against-women-idUSKCN1MK08G), and AI-driven clinical health tools display [both socioeconomic and racial bias](https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.10.21261833v1.full). Given these impacts, it’s unsurprising that the number of laws being passed about AI are on the rise. A survey of legislative records in 25 companies showed that the number of bills containing ​“artificial intelligence” passed into law went from just 1 in 2016 to 18 in 2021. In addition to legislation, there are also [173 AI ethics frameworks and guidelines in place around the world](https://www.ericsson.com/en/blog/2022/4/ethical-frameworks-ai-telecom). The above three trends offer just a sliver of what’s to come in this space. As both the telecom and retail industries grapple with AI and its possibilities, many more game-changing applications will emerge. - [ Industry Intelligence ](https://www.iqmetrix.com/resources/industry-intelligence) - [ ](http://twitter.com/iQmetrix) - [ ](https://www.facebook.com/pages/iQmetrix/167877886558671) - [ ](http://www.linkedin.com/company/iqmetrix) - [ ](http://www.youtube.com/user/iQmetrixCorp) - [ ](https://www.instagram.com/iqmetrix/) Subscribe to our newsletter You have opted out of some cookies, meaning that our demo form is not available to you. Please email sales@iqmetrix.com or call us on 1.866.476.3874 to get started. 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