The integration of blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) presents unprecedented opportunities and risks for the security of digital systems. As AI systems process and act upon critical data, the assurance provided by blockchain technologies around data provenance, integrity, and trust becomes vital, especially for security-critical applications. This special issue is dedicated to exploring how combining AI and blockchain can address security and privacy challenges, create robust trust frameworks, and counter evolving threats across industries.

We invite original research, reviews, and case studies that illustrate how blockchain and AI can be collaboratively leveraged to build secure, auditable, and resilient digital ecosystems.

Topics of Interest (but not limited to):

1. Foundational Security Approaches
- Secure AI model lifecycle management using blockchain (secure training, deployment, and updates)
- Blockchain-powered access control for AI systems
- Secure and explainable AI using blockchain
- Blockchain-based data provenance and auditability for AI models
- Federated learning with blockchain for data privacy and security
- Smart contracts for AI governance and compliance

2. AI for Blockchain Security
- Machine learning for real-time threat detection in blockchain networks
- AI-driven malware and ransomware analysis in smart contracts
- Anomaly and fraud detection in blockchain ecosystems using AI
- AI for blockchain consensus optimization and defense

3. Application Security and Privacy
- End-to-end encrypted, AI-powered transactions on blockchain
- Secure decentralized AI marketplaces and platforms
- Blockchain and AI for zero-trust identity management
- Privacy-preserving machine learning (PPML) combined with blockchain
- GDPR-compliant AI+Blockchain solutions (right to be forgotten, data minimization)

4. Emerging Threats, Auditing, and Regulatory Compliance
- Vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, and formal verification for AI-blockchain systems
- Adversarial attacks on blockchain-based AI applications and possible defenses
- Secure interoperability frameworks for AI-blockchain ecosystems
- Standardization, certification, and governance for security in cross-domain AI-blockchain integrations

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Secure Convergence of Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence: Innovations, Threats, and Future Safeguards