Future Wireless Technology: 6G and Higher Versions may Require AI with Common Sense
According to researchers from Virginia Tech, the next generation of wireless systems will integrate advanced artificial intelligence protocols to enhance performance. Their recent paper introduces a breakthrough method to promote the development of wireless technologies such as 6G.
This study highlights how wireless systems and artificial intelligence can seamlessly mature to create "living, thinking networks" capable of handling the massive data demands of the future.
Why is connectivity more important than ever before
Everyone has experienced this situation. You notice that your favorite content creator has made a new video, so you hurry to watch it. However, due to the limited network connectivity in your area, you have encountered long delays and poor picture quality.
This situation is very common nowadays, but it may get worse in the future. Artificial intelligence and high-performance protocols require first-class connections to achieve the expected results. Therefore, actions to enhance wireless communication capabilities are being vigorously promoted worldwide.
Towards 6G and beyond
The media has paid great attention to the battle for control of 5G networks. However, researchers have turned to the next level of wireless communication - 6G networks. These systems integrate the AI architecture directly into the network. They are currently being tested in the metaverse environment because future wireless communication networks need to seamlessly connect the digital world and the physical world.
The challenges faced by early 6G prototypes
Although 6G is still in the testing stage, some problems have emerged and continue to restrict its development. First of all, the actual performance of the network is limited by the performance of its communication technology.
Antennas and other equipment need to be upgraded to support the added data functions of 6G networks. Furthermore, even if the hardware is improved, analysts predict that these upgrades will still not be sufficient to meet the growing demand for data transmission.
Apart from the limitations of physical hardware, the current AI-native wireless systems adopt models specifically designed for operation on traditional systems. These off-the-shelf neural networks lack the performance of native build options.
Future artificial intelligence protocols need to seamlessly span multiple dimensions, including digital, physical, and the metaverse, allowing users to maximize their experiences without disconnecting.
Rethink the future wireless artificial intelligence model
In the research "General Artificial Intelligence (AGI) Native Wireless Systems: A Journey Beyond 6G", researchers at Virginia Tech are studying the goals of future wireless systems and the types of protocols they need to maintain.
They proposed a new type of wireless network, called Integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) System. This upgraded version of artificial intelligence will utilize enhanced technologies and new architectures to enable the system to make decisions and plans more like humans.
The Role of Common Sense in Wireless Artificial Intelligence
Researchers at Virginia Tech have proposed a breakthrough approach, that is, to promote the development of wireless technology after 6G by combining artificial intelligence with common sense. Common sense is a trait that you might overlook, but it is one of the key reasons why you can make decisions in an instant during the day.
Common sense is formed through the accumulation of years of experience. It enables you to confront uncertainty and apply rationality, attempting to fill in the blanks based on your knowledge and past experiences. It is worth noting that the four pillars of common sense are the ability to adapt to unexpected situations through horizontal universality, reasoning, capturing intuitive physics, and filling in the blanks with your knowledge.
Why is common sense difficult to achieve
Although common sense may seem natural to you, it is very difficult to replicate in artificial intelligence systems. The main reason for the difficulty is that artificial intelligence systems rely on data to operate. Artificial intelligence models are trained based on the provided data, which enables them to identify patterns and relevant information, which is very difficult for humans. The problem is that this setting doesn't work well when dealing with unexpected and never-before-seen situations.
Introduce super artificial intelligence to achieve multi-dimensional intelligence
The team proposed to create a super artificial intelligence protocol that can monitor, replicate and coordinate the physical, virtual and digital dimensions. Artificial intelligence systems will operate across physical and digital domains, and AR is the convergence point of their operation. To complete this task, engineers suggest completely replicating the real world in the virtual metaverse.
The metaverse serves as a testing ground for 6G AI
The metaverse is a term that people often hear nowadays, but in real life, it is not very common. In the past few years, some breakthrough technologies have opened the door to 6G networks. For instance, digital twins and other protocols have made it easier than ever to create digital representations of physical objects.
Engineers believe that such functions will enable the seamless integration of the next generation of wireless and artificial intelligence systems. They proposed a real-world digital model, enabling artificial intelligence to provide perception, planning capabilities and analogical reasoning capabilities for future wireless networks.
Create digital cognitive wireless infrastructure
Researchers believe that this digital copy of the real world is the missing link between wireless systems and future artificial intelligence protocols. They concluded that engineers must create wireless networks with inherent capabilities to understand the attributes and interactions of real-world things, as well as the mathematical mechanisms that support advanced artificial intelligence models.
The proposed AGI native wireless system combines perception modules, world models, and action planning components to create a faster response and higher-performance AI-native communication network. This network is designed to utilize different cognitive abilities (such as reasoning and analogy) to handle large amounts of data.
The advantages of AGI-Native wireless systems
The proposed research on 6G and beyond brings multiple benefits to the market. First of all, it has formulated a roadmap for creating more sustainable and trustworthy AI systems. This network utilizes common-sense decision structures, which makes it easier to determine how AI comes up with a certain solution. These future AI systems will offer performance and interpretability.
Applications of 6G and higher versions
The application of 6G artificial intelligence integrated wireless networks is very extensive. These systems enable engineers to design highly intelligent and self-learning wireless networks with real-time decision-making capabilities.
Therefore, this system will help power future smart cities and ensure that everything from taking a ride to having dinner is on time. The following are some potential applications of this technology.
Smart cities and infrastructure integration
The future smart cities will integrate large-scale wireless networks covering the entire community, advanced AI protocols, etc. These networks need to be capable of handling the growing data demands of the AI society. Therefore, you can expect to see 6G and more advanced technologies used to keep these systems running smoothly.
Business communication
The communication network is an obvious application of this technology. Wireless data usage has been increasing year by year. Over the past decade, data usage has shifted from personal computers to handheld smartphones and other devices. The next generation of 6G and higher versions of wireless systems will be designed to operate on these networks rather than be applied to them.
A smarter AI agent in daily interactions
From customer service to sales, everything will have artificial intelligence agents that are more human-like. Artificial intelligence agents can answer questions, provide access to functions, and so on. These intelligent protocols can help companies maximize their efforts and provide customers with a higher level of convenience.
Advances in computer modeling and simulation
At present, the demand for computer modeling is very strong. This technology will make it easier for people to obtain accurate digital models as they will autonomously connect as part of a mixed reality environment. These systems will integrate advanced mathematical principles, category theory and neuroscience to create immersive and interactive models of the physical world.
Game
You can also expect to see this technology used to enhance the actions of virtual characters. These artificial intelligence protocols can create cognitive virtual characters with common sense capabilities. These virtual characters can play a significant role in future metaverse experiences as they can help guide new users, provide interaction and companionship, and contribute to making communities safer.
Artificial intelligence in self-driving cars drives innovation
This technology will also help improve the safety of self-driving traffic. An artificial intelligence system that can make common-sense choices when facing new situations is exactly what the autonomous driving industry needs. Therefore, you can expect to see this technology applied in fields such as autonomous driving transportation in the future.
6G adopts the projected schedule
According to researchers, this technology will still take 10 to 15 years. However, scientists point out that there are now several components and steps that can be completed to help smoothly launch the upgrade. They stated that their paper should be regarded as a roadmap to help ensure that these upgrades are carried out in a unified and responsible manner, which is conducive to the success of 6G.
6G and future researchers
This research was led by engineers from Virginia Tech. The lead author of this study is Walid Saad, a professor at the School of Engineering and the head of Next-G Wireless. He received support from researchers including Omar Hashash, Christo Kurisummoottil Thomas, Christina Chaccour, Merouane Debbah and Narayan Mandayam. Now, the team is seeking further research and business partnerships to expand the development of future 6G infrastructure.