Simplifying AI: Optimum’s Approach to AI and Automation

There’s no denying it: AI is everywhere. From social media and streaming platforms, online shopping and household appliances to, yes, you guessed it – your internet provider. But what is AI? How are companies like Optimum using it to enhance products, services, and experiences for consumers?

AI? ML? Automation?

First, let’s take a step back to explain what these phrases mean:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the broadest umbrella term. It gives machines the ability to mimic human intelligence, which can include decision making, pattern recognition, and learning over time. 
• AI/ML refers to Artificial Intelligence and its engine, Machine Learning. ML is how systems learn and improve from data, which, for Optimum, enables predictive maintenance, improved reliability, and customer experiences that feel personalized. 
• Generative AI (GenAI) takes AI a step further by focusing on creation. It generates new text, images, code, and even video, some examples being writing assistants, AI art tools, or chatbots that feel human. 
• Agentic AI, on the other hand, takes intelligence beyond creation and moves it into action. It can reason, plan, and make decisions toward a goal – autonomously carrying out tasks, coordinating across systems, and adapting as conditions change.
• Automation doesn’t think, it executes predefined steps consistently, which speeds up repetitive tasks, reduces errors, and, when paired with AI/ML, allows companies to scale smarter.

These technologies are not just buzzwords or technical phrases, they are real drivers of stability, quality, and innovation. At Optimum, they help us deliver faster, prevent problems before they happen, improve customer experiences, and free us to tackle the challenges that matter most. 

Optimum’s Innovative Roots 

As a technology company, Optimum has always been at the forefront of innovation, constantly pushing boundaries to deliver better, faster, and more reliable experiences for our customers. From the way we design and expand our product set, to how we engineer and operate our network, to the digital tools and automation that enhance every customer interaction, technological innovation is not just something we invest in – it’s part of who we are. 

Our teams have a long history of challenging convention, adopting emerging technologies early, and turning bold ideas into practical solutions that improve daily life for the communities we serve. This culture of curiosity and experimentation continues to drive us forward as we evolve into an even more agile, AI-powered organization focused on shaping the future of connectivity.

Leveraging AI Today and Tomorrow 

Today, Optimum is utilizing several AI and automative technologies to enhance our systems and platforms. This is done in collaboration with vendor partners that are helping us build new tools for today and scale our technology stack for tomorrow. With their support and expertise, we have successfully deployed several tools that are delivering real, tangible results, including:

• Access Network Automation (ANA): With ANA guiding our field teams to proactively find and fix potential network impacts and service interruptions, we are revolutionizing our network operations experience. Incorporating multiple GenAI and ML models that are highly specialized in understanding network health, ANA ingests network telemetry, customer interactions, and pinpoint service interruptions when and where they’re happening with a higher level of precision.   
• OneAgent: Being built as a modern tool set to unify the agent experience across all frontline divisions, OneAgent and OneTech are next generation platforms for Optimum. By creating an omni-channel customer experience suite powered by multiple AI and ML tools across several key areas of the business, Optimum is set to deliver agents, and in turn, customers, a stronger and smarter connectivity experience.                                                          
• AI Virtual Assistant (AVA): Paired with OneAgent and implemented in our sales and care channels, the launch of AVA in 2023 marked the first of many enhancements to our agents’ toolkit. An ML tool, AVA presents our agents with offer recommendations as they assist customers in real time. It’s hugely improved the agent experience and leads to better, stronger interactions with customers by presenting them with the right offers for their household needs.                                               
• Customer Experience Platform (CEP): We are in the early stages of launching our Customer Experience Platform (CEP), which applies advanced AI to make every interaction smarter and more personalized for consumers. By connecting insights from digital, voice, and care channels, Optimum’s CEP will help us better understand intent, anticipate needs, and deliver real-time solutions. As the rollout expands across our business, customers will begin to experience a more seamless, proactive, and human interaction that reduces effort and improves satisfaction.     
• Cybersecurity & Threat Detection: Protecting our network and customers requires staying one step ahead of emerging threats. We leverage AI-driven analytics to detect unusual behavior, identify risks, and respond faster than ever before. These systems continuously learn from billions of daily events across our environment, enabling real-time threat detection and adaptive defenses without compromising privacy. The result is a stronger, more resilient security posture that keeps our customers and data safe.

Our employees are also leaning into the AI revolution by taking our technician and customer-facing tools a step further to help solve common pain points. Just this fall, our winning Hackathon teams developed new AI-powered Augmented Reality (AR) solutions that could one day help streamline and simplify the Optimum installation experience for both technicians and customers. 

Looking Ahead: Innovation That Delivers

At its core, Optimum’s AI ambition is about enhancing value while reflecting a simple philosophy: deliver smarter, faster, and more personalized service – all while keeping our customers at the center of everything we do.

From automating complex operations to empowering our teams with real-time insights, AI is helping us transform how we serve, support, and connect our customers. But what truly sets Optimum apart is our commitment to pairing this technology with human expertise, ensuring every advancement drives meaningful outcomes, not just technical progress.

As AI continues to evolve, so will the ways we harness it to deliver smarter, more seamless experiences for our customers. The next era of connectivity will be powered by intelligence, adaptability, and collaboration. At Optimum, we’re already building that future – one smart, connected, and AI-powered step at a time.

Luciano Ramos

Chief Product and Technology Officer, Optimum