6G will integrate 5G and AI to merge physical, cyber and sapience spaces, transforming network interactions, revolutioning AI-driven decision-making and automation and radically changing the overall system’s perception of the foundational concepts of information and reliability. This requires the native-by-design integration of AI and communication system. Current 5G technologies cannot support such change. 5G limits data to be “teleported blindly” along the network without a priori understanding of how informative is for the receiver(s). As a result, AI algorithm outcomes remain limited to sophisticated pattern recognition and statistical correlations. This represent a major limitation of today sense-process-communicate-memorize intelligent information systems.
To support such revolution with AI, the emerging concept of semantic and goal-oriented communications transforms how information is processed by enabling AI to selectively collect, share, and process data based on its relevance, value, or timeliness to the receiver. Unlike 5G’s focus on high-capacity data transport, semantic communications prioritize meaningful, compressed knowledge sharing to enhance AI reasoning, adapt to diverse environments, and surpass current limitations in intelligent decision-making.
This PhD research explores three cutting-edge areas: (1) semantic communication, where today state of the art mostly is focused on AI-driven semantic compression and robustness, (2) integrated communication and sensing, merging data exchange and environmental sensing for resource-efficient applications, and (3) advances in compositional learning and AI reasoning, enabling intelligent systems to process complex, multi-modal data.
This research is focused on the development of abstract concept compositionality models that AI agents can utilize to understand and reason over complex semantic structures. In this context, the PhD candidate will design new methodologies for compositional reasoning that align with the requirements of multi-user, goal-oriented communication. The models will be constructed to enable compositional information exchange where AI agents can intuitively form, exchange, and infer based on compound semantic representations. By focusing on the inherent compositionality and adaptability of semantic exchanges, this research is positioned to support the next generation of intelligent, contextually aware communication systems. These systems will allow for a more precise and meaningful exchange of information between AI agents, enhancing their decision-making and cooperative abilities across a range of applications, from autonomous robotic swarms to networked IoT devices in smart cities and other intelligent environments. The PhD research will benchmark the proposed novel theoretical grounded concepts against current state of the art solutions in semantic communications by numerical simulation.