Yesterday, at Itential’s Revenue Team Kickoff, I had one of those rare conversations that reminds you why you do what you do. Over dinner with Casey Plunkett, we didn’t just talk about AI – we spoke the same language, finishing each other’s thoughts about a technology that has fundamentally changed how we see the world.

My Journey: December 2022

For me, it started in December 2022 when I got my hands on an OpenAI API key. Like many engineers, I immediately wanted to see what this thing could actually do. My first project was connecting pyATS to ChatGPT 3.5 for network automation – my first AI-augmented network automation project. That moment flipped the switch. Suddenly, the possibilities weren’t theoretical anymore. They were real.

Check out my book Automate Your Network →

Casey’s Journey: The Skeptic Turned Believer

Casey’s path was different. He was a skeptic – and rightfully so. The AI hype cycle has burned many before. He didn’t believe it until early 2024, when reasoning capabilities were introduced. But Casey didn’t just kick the tires with simple prompts. He went deep, applying classical philosophy – Socratic ethics – against not just one model, but many models.

That rigorous, philosophical approach is what convinced him. When AI could engage meaningfully with humanity’s oldest wisdom traditions across multiple implementations, that’s when his bit flipped from 0 to 1. He became a convert, not through hype, but through intellectual honesty.

Check out his book the AI Steamroller →

The Technology Problem is Solved

Here’s what we both realized: the technology problem is solved. Agents work. The architecture is there. The capabilities are proven.

But that’s not what will determine who wins in this new era.

What separates the organizations that will thrive from those that will fade isn’t their AI stack – it’s everything around it:

• People who embrace change and continuous learning
• Culture that encourages experimentation and intelligent risk-taking
• Leadership that doesn’t just talk about AI but embeds it in every function

At Itential, this isn’t aspirational – it’s operational. We’re using AI across:

• HR and talent development
• Marketing and Social media, content creation, web development, video editing, design, and more.
• Engineering and product development
• Finance and accounting
• Sales and pipeline development
• The platforms and gateways our customers have already invested in

FlowAI isn’t a feature. It’s a philosophy made manifest in code.

Looking back at that December 2022 network automation project, I can see now it was more than just connecting APIs. It was proof that:

1. Domain expertise + AI = exponential capability – My network automation knowledge didn’t become obsolete; it became supercharged
2. The best tools augment, not replace – pyATS remained the foundation; AI made it more powerful
3. Speed to insight changes everything – What took days took hours; what took hours took minutes

Casey’s philosophical approach revealed something profound: when you test AI against humanity’s deepest questions – ethics, morality, the nature of knowledge itself -you’re not just testing a tool. You’re exploring a new kind of partner in thinking.

His multi-model testing approach showed that this isn’t about one company’s model. It’s about a fundamental shift in what’s possible when we augment human reasoning with machine intelligence.

This might sound bold, but Casey and I both believe it: Itential has the potential to be the next Microsoft.

Not because we have the best AI models (we don’t build foundation models). But because we have:

1. The right people who understand both the technology and the business
2. The right culture that treats AI as a catalyst, not a threat
3. The right leadership that has genuinely embraced AI in everything we do
4. The right positioning – our customers have already invested in our platforms and gateways
5. The right vision  – FlowAI meets organizations where they are and takes them where they need to go

Microsoft didn’t win because DOS was technically superior. They won because they understood that software needed to be accessible, integrated into business processes, and continuously evolved with their customers.

That’s exactly what we’re doing with AI-augmented network automation and orchestration.

What made yesterday’s conversation so incredible was that we were both in flow—that rare state where ideas build on each other effortlessly, where you’re simultaneously teacher and student, where time disappears because you’re so fully engaged.

That’s what working with AI feels like when you get it right. Not fighting the technology, not being replaced by it, but dancing with it – each making the other better.

If you’re still skeptical about AI, I get it. Casey was too. But I’d encourage you to:

• Go deeper than the hype
• Test it against hard problems
• Apply it to your domain expertise
• See it not as replacement but as augmentation

And if you’re already converted, find your people. Have these conversations. Share your “flip the bit” moment.

Because this isn’t just about technology. It’s about being part of something transformative – a moment when the tools we use to think are fundamentally evolving.

The VibeOps forum is where we’re gathering right now – over 400+ have joined in the last 2 weeks:

Jump into the conversation →

Casey used words like “incredible,” “positive,” “formative,” “mentorship,” “enlightened,” “pivotal,” “honor,” and “privilege” to describe our conversation.

I feel the same way.

These are the conversations that matter. Not the product pitches or the feature comparisons, but the moments when two people who’ve seen the same truth from different angles can share their journey and vision for what comes next.

What was your “flip the bit” moment with AI? When did you stop seeing it as hype and start seeing it as transformation? I’d love to hear your story.