AI-Enabled Secure, Resilient, and Autonomous Smart Environments: From Intelligent Cities to Next-Gen Grids

The rapid convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced communication technologies is revolutionizing modern infrastructure, driving the evolution of smart, connected, and adaptive environments. From intelligent cities and smart grids to industrial automation and critical infrastructure, AI plays a pivotal role in optimizing operations, enhancing decision-making, and ensuring resilience against dynamic challenges.

However, as smart environments grow increasingly complex and interconnected, they face unprecedented challenges related to data security, system resilience, privacy protection, and operational reliability. There is a pressing need for innovative, AI-driven methodologies that can address these challenges while ensuring performance, scalability, and sustainability.

This Special Issue aims to bring together high-quality, original research and case studies exploring the design, development, and deployment of secure, resilient, and autonomous AI-enabled smart environments. It will highlight interdisciplinary contributions at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, IoT, and smart infrastructure management, covering both theoretical advancements and practical implementations.
We invite researchers, practitioners, and industry experts to submit papers presenting novel frameworks, algorithms, and applications in this rapidly evolving field. Contributions addressing emerging trends such as decentralized AI, AI-powered digital twins, and edge intelligence are especially welcome

Topics of Interest include, but are not limited to:

● AI algorithms for cybersecurity: Enhance anomaly detection and fault prediction in smart environments.
● Edge AI, federated learning, and decentralized intelligence: Enable secure, real-time, and adaptive smart systems.
● AI-powered decision support systems: Improve smart city management, energy optimization, and public service delivery.
● Smart grid intelligence: Support renewable energy integration, demand forecasting, and grid stability through secure AI solutions.
● Industrial IoT and smart factories: Use AI for critical infrastructure protection and operational optimization.
● AI-enhanced digital twins and cyber-physical systems: Facilitate predictive maintenance, system resilience, and process optimization.
● Smart transportation systems: Apply AI in traffic prediction, autonomous vehicle safety, and infrastructure protection.
● Intelligent sensors: Employ AI to interpret multi-modal sensor data for enhanced situational awareness, real-time monitoring, and context-aware decision-making in smart environments.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities, Smart Grids, Cybersecurity, Edge AI, Industrial IoT, Digital Twins, Secure Smart Environments, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Federated Learning, AI-Enabled Resilience, Privacy-Preserving AI, Autonomous Smart

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.