Ciroos CEO Ronak Desai on Integrating AI as a Teammate in Operations Teams

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into operations teams is no longer a futuristic concept but a present-day necessity, according to Ronak Desai, CEO of Ciroos. In a detailed Q&A, Desai outlines how Ciroos is pioneering the use of AI as a teammate rather than just a tool, aiming to address the escalating complexity and workload faced by Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) and operations teams across industries.

Desai explains that the traditional approach of relying on dashboards and manual workflows is unsustainable. The solution, as proposed by Ciroos, is an AI SRE Teammate designed to work alongside human operators. This AI teammate starts by automating routine tasks, gradually taking on more complex responsibilities as it earns the team's trust. The framework is built around three key phases: Automate, Augment, and Autopilot, each representing a step towards greater autonomy and efficiency in operations.

The rise of AI-native applications introduces new challenges for operations teams, necessitating a shift from static runbooks to dynamic, agentic AI systems capable of reasoning across domains. Ciroos's product roadmap is focused on developing such systems, which can adapt to changing environments and collaborate with other AI agents within the enterprise.

Desai emphasizes the importance of trust in integrating AI into high-stakes workflows. The AI SRE Teammate is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing tools, starting with simple tasks and gradually assuming more responsibility, always under human governance. This approach mirrors the natural onboarding process of a new team member, ensuring a smooth transition and fostering trust.

The long-term vision for Ciroos is clear: to equip every operations team with an AI teammate that enhances efficiency, scalability, and intelligence over time. Desai advises teams to start small, focusing on areas where AI can significantly reduce toil, such as incident triage and root cause analysis, and gradually expand its role as confidence in its capabilities grows.

For more insights into how AI can transform operations teams, visit https://citybiz.com.