AT&T, T-Mobile tighten AI guardrails as autonomous networks remain years away
TMUS•AT&T and T-Mobile are adding safeguards as they integrate AI, while executives said fully autonomous networks remain years away. T-Mobile said its network restored coverage to about 66% of customers within an hour during Winter Storm Fern and 90% within eight hours.
1. Safeguarding customer data
AT&T and T-Mobile are increasing efforts to protect customer data and network infrastructure as they adopt AI. T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer John Saw said the company is investing more in monitoring and response and working with vendors to close security vulnerabilities.
2. Different approaches to risk
AT&T CTO Jeremy Legg said third-party software providers and AI agents pose risks beyond operators’ own networks. AT&T uses encryption, multi-factor authentication and human oversight of data access, and is working to verify that AI agents seeking customer-account access represent legitimate customers. T-Mobile has experienced data breaches in 2021 and 2023 that cumulatively affected more than 100 million customer accounts and has agreed to consumer and Federal Communications Commission settlements involving cybersecurity penalties and investments.
3. Automation still needs people
Legg said fully autonomous networks are years away because complex network problems still require human intervention. AT&T uses AI to analyze trouble tickets and sometimes implement repairs, while T-Mobile uses AI to adjust cell-site antennas when nearby sites go down. During Winter Storm Fern in January, T-Mobile’s self-organizing network restored coverage to about 66% of customers within an hour and 90% within eight hours, Saw said.
