Next Generation System Operations Consortium Accelerates Research Outcomes with External Perspectives, Aiming for Social Implementation of Human x AI and Next-Generation Workforce.

The General Incorporated Association Next Generation System Operations Consortium (hereinafter referred to as the Next Generation System Operations Consortium) held the "Research Presentation on Next Generation System Operations" on May 26th of this year, presenting research outcomes achieved in FY2025 to external experts from government, industry associations, academia, practice communities, and the media. This presentation was not merely a report of achievements but was held with the objective of verifying research outcomes from an external perspective, enhancing their completeness through feedback, and taking the next step forward.

The research presentation introduced three themes selected from research activities addressing the structural challenges facing Japanese system operations, such as increasing complexity, labor shortages, and delays in automation. 1. "Incident Response Acceleration Model" through Human-AI Collaboration

2. Redefining the "Roles" and "Careers" of Next-Generation Operations Personnel

3. Advancing "Operational Education" through AI Coaching and Gamification Theory

At the external presentation, experts from organizations with diverse positions and roles engaged in lively discussions regarding the future of system operations. This served as a "practical verification ground" to assess whether the research outcomes could actually function within society, amidst the intersection of diverse perspectives from policy, standards, human resources, practice, and media.

The NGSM will continue to build a foundation for connecting research outcomes to social implementation through such co-creation platforms, and will challenge itself to realize a more sustainable and creative societal infrastructure. Operations are the very foundation supporting society, and at a time when their value is being questioned, we will continue to vigorously promote the challenge of realizing a more sustainable and creative societal infrastructure.

For more details, please see:

Next Generation System Operations Consortium (NGSM) FY2025 External Presentation Report

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1. Structural Challenges Facing Japanese System Operations

"Complexity x Labor Shortage x Automation Delay" is at its Limit

At the beginning of the presentation, the structural issues faced by Japanese system operations were re-shared. - Sophistication and complexity of systems (core systems, external systems, distributed/cloud, networks, etc.)

- Demand for stable operation 24/7/365

- Limitations of automation scope, night/holiday response, emergency call-outs

- Contradiction between DevOps promotion and separation of development/operations, maintaining shifts with decreasing personnel

What has become apparent in this situation is an operational structure characterized by personalization, long working hours, and blame-oriented responses. This structure can no longer be overcome by individual company efforts alone. Will operations remain mere "tasks," or will they evolve into "autonomy"? The NGSM believes the key lies in structural transformation through "design" and "AI."

2. The Overall Picture of "Next-Generation System Operations" Depicted by Research Outcomes

The research outcomes announced by NGSM this time are not limited to individual technology verifications or improvement proposals. They are an attempt to redesign the very nature of operations from the three perspectives of technology, human resources, and processes, in response to the structural challenges of "complexity," "labor shortage," and "automation delay" facing Japanese system operations.

- A technological approach to accelerate incident response through human-AI collaboration

- A human resource transformation that redraws the roles and careers of operations personnel who will lead the next generation

- A process transformation that evolves operational education into a self-sustaining structure using AI coaching and gamification

These three research areas are not independent but are interconnected, shaping the overall picture of "Next-Generation System Operations."

2-1. Research Outcome ① Technology Research WG

"Incident Response Acceleration Model" through Human-AI Collaboration

The Technology Research WG presented a new operational model where humans and AI collaborate by dividing roles, with the theme of "accelerating incident response." For unknown incidents, it often takes several days to months to identify the cause and restore services. The background to this includes "bottlenecks" such as expanding the scope of investigation, delays in decision-making and coordination, and personalization of knowledge.

In this research:

- AI is responsible for information organization, hypothesis generation, sharing, and knowledge accumulation. - Humans are responsible for validity confirmation, priority judgment, and final decision-making.

A collaborative model based on this role division was designed.

Furthermore, to concretize this model, a prototype of an AI support tool was developed. Through real-time chat, a situation-sharing dashboard, and analysis tree display, the visualization and acceleration of the incident response process were verified. The verification confirmed effects such as faster initial response, avoidance of personalized decision-making, and reuse of knowledge, indicating the potential for significant reduction in recovery time. On the other hand, challenges for practical application, such as preventing erroneous inferences and standardizing data linkage, have also become clear.

Next-Generation Incident Response Operations Paved by Human-AI Collaboration

Realistic Solutions for Implementation Seen from Post-Presentation Discussions

Following the presentation, discussions revealed both expectations for the use of generative AI and candid sharing of practical constraints and challenges in field operations. What emerged from the discussions was the point that a collaborative model where humans and AI leverage their respective strengths, rather than "automation that completely relies on AI," is the key to achieving advanced and rapid incident response. Current generative AI has not yet reached the stage where it can independently determine product-specific defects or potential product bugs. This research takes this limitation as a premise and proposes an operational model that maximizes AI's reasoning and information processing capabilities, starting from human product knowledge and field intuition. Another significant feature is the ability to assetize the investigation process itself in RCA (Root Cause Analysis). By recording and visualizing not only the main conclusions but also the hypotheses considered and reasons for rejection along the way, it becomes possible to prevent personalization and reliably transfer knowledge to future incident responses.

2-2. Research Outcome ② Organization and Human Resource Transformation WG

Redefining the "Roles" and "Careers" of Next-Generation Operations Personnel

The Organization and Human Resource Transformation WG conducted research and studies looking ahead to the future social and IT environment, with the theme of "essential roles and skills for next-generation operations personnel." The characteristic of this research is that it redefines roles based on challenges rather than technology. It depicts the necessary roles for each scenario looking 10 years ahead and organizes skill definitions, personnel profiles, and career paths in an integrated manner. The deliverables are presented in a format intended for practical use in the field, such as role definition documents, skill standards, career maps, and recruitment templates. The desired vision is clear: "to make operations a job that young generations can be excited about."

Making Operations a "Sparkling Talent" Job

Reaching a Consensus on Redefining Next-Generation Operations Roles

Through Q&A, it became clear that the essence of the problem was not a lack of skills, but rather that the value and appeal of the job of operations had not been sufficiently verbalized or visualized. The role of an operations leader who directs the field and guides recovery during an incident is inherently a highly creative and socially valuable job. The need to present this role to society as an "aspirational professional image," similar to police officers or firefighters, was shared.

2-3. Research Outcome ③ Operational Process Transformation WG

Advancing "Operational Education" through AI Coaching and Gamification Theory

The Operational Process Transformation WG focused on "AI coaching and gamification theory for advancing operational education."