Research and Analysis of Standard-Setting Processes Research Group
Time: 16:30–18:30
Chairs: Ignacio Castro and Alvaro Retana
16:30–16:40 — Agenda bashing and chairs’ welcome
10 min
16:40–17:05 — Mark Nottingham, Cloudflare
“AI in Standards Participation”
25 min
17:05–17:20 — Jaime Jiménez, Ericsson
“Analyzing AI Usage in IETF Drafts”
15 min
17:20–17:45 — Marcelo Santos, Federal Institute of Sertão Pernambucano
“From Draft to RFC: Mapping the Mortality of Internet-Drafts across the IETF and IRTF”
25 min
17:45–18:10 — İlke İlhan, RIPE NCC
“Analyzing the RIPE Community”
25 min
18:10–18:30 — Colin Perkins, University of Glasgow
“Analysing Internet Standards Development Organisation Data”
20 min
Abstract
AI is increasingly used to research, write, and implement Internet standards — and, increasingly, to participate in standards discourse itself. As an assistive technology, it can lower barriers for those facing language or other obstacles. However, it also makes it easy to participate with limited human effort or understanding, straining a community whose value rests on a finite pool of expert attention.
This talk demonstrates ietf-llm, a tool for querying a working group’s or research group’s public record, and uses it to ground a discussion of where AI helps participation, where it harms it, and what norms the IETF and IRTF might adopt in response.
Bio
Mark Nottingham works on Internet and Web standards at Cloudflare. He is a long-time contributor to the IETF and a member of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB).
Abstract
Forthcoming.
Bio
Jaime Jiménez is a Master Researcher at Ericsson with over 15 years of experience in IoT and Web technologies. He co-chairs the IETF CoRE Working Group, contributing to the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) and the device management protocol LwM2M. He is currently developing autonomous generative AI agents, enhancing their reasoning and integration with Web/IoT APIs and real-time data.
Related link: ietf.jaime.win/is-it-ai
Abstract
It is well known that most Internet-Drafts never become RFCs. This talk shares early, work-in-progress findings from a study that looks at where in the process drafts tend to stall, using the IETF Datatracker to reconstruct each draft’s lifecycle, including its outcome, authors, affiliations, geography, and process history.
So far, the results suggest that a draft’s fate is shaped largely at one key point: Working Group adoption. Some patterns that appear clear in simple comparisons, such as differences by region, by area, or between the IETF and IRTF, seem to change once adoption is taken into account.
These are preliminary observations rather than firm conclusions, and the analysis is still being refined. The aim of the talk is to share the approach and initial signals, gather feedback, and discuss what they might mean for lowering barriers to entry.
Bio
Marcelo Santos is a Professor and Researcher at the Federal Institute of Sertão Pernambucano, Brazil. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Federal University of Pernambuco, with part of his doctoral research carried out at the IBISC Lab, Université d’Évry, France. His work focuses on Internet measurement, community networks, innovation ecosystems, IoT, and applied artificial intelligence. He has been involved in initiatives related to digital inclusion, rural connectivity, and technology-based innovation.
Abstract
RIPE mailing lists have been active for over 30 years and have been one of the main communication channels for the RIPE community and the RIPE NCC membership. This analysis looks into mailing list traffic over time, the concentration of participation, the longevity of contributors, and the role of the most popular mailing lists in overall discussion.
The results reflect long-term engagement within the RIPE community and RIPE NCC membership, as seen through the mailing lists.
Bio
İlke İlhan is a Business Data Analyst at the RIPE NCC. Her work focuses primarily on the RIPE NCC membership and the RIPE community.
Draft
draft-perkins-analysing-sdo-data
Abstract
This document outlines issues to consider when studying data relating to the Internet standards development ecosystem. It identifies observable components of standards development processes, proposes a taxonomy of possible measurements, and highlights methodological, interpretive, and ethical considerations.
The draft is intended to support a range of uses, including monitoring standards development organisations, evaluating the evolution of technical work, understanding technology deployment, and informing community, leadership, and governance discussions.
Bio
Colin Perkins is a Professor at the University of Glasgow. His research interests are in transport protocols, with a particular focus on transport and signalling for real-time and interactive multimedia, and on improving the way network protocols are designed, implemented, specified, and standardised. He has been active in the IETF and IRTF since 1996, has chaired the AVT, MMUSIC, and RMCAT working groups in the IETF, and served as IRTF Chair from 2019 to 2025. He received his BEng in Electronic Engineering in 1992 and his PhD in 1996, both from the University of York.