Interactive AI with Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Next Generation Networking

With the advance of artificial intelligence (AI), the concept of interactive AI (IAI) has been introduced, which can interactively understand and respond not only to human user input but also to dynamic system and network conditions. In this article, we explore an integration and enhancement of IAI in networking.We first comprehensively review recent developments and future perspectives of AI and then introduce the technology and components of IAI. We then explore the integration of IAI into next-generation networks, focusing on how implicit and explicit interactions can enhance network functionality, improve user experience, and promote efficient network management. Subsequently, we propose an IAI-enabled network management and optimization framework, which consists of environment, perception, action, and brain units. We also design a pluggable large language model (LLM) module and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) module to build the knowledge base and contextual memory for decision-making in the brain unit. We demonstrate through case studies that our IAI framework can effectively perform optimization problem design. Finally, we discuss potential research directions for IAI-based networks.