Beyond Prediction Accuracy: A Vision for Trust-Aware Cross-Layer Intelligence for 6G Mobile NetworksShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)Conference paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
Sixth-generation (6G) networks are expected to evolve toward AI-native and cross-layer mobile intelligence. However, many current AI-enabled wireless designs remain prediction-driven, producing estimates or decisions without exposing the reliability of those outputs to the rest of the system. This is especially problematic in applications such as teleoperation, where physical-layer AI functions, such as channel estimation or link-quality prediction, may become unreliable under fast-varying conditions. If higher layers, including MAC-layer functions such as scheduling and link adaptation and network-layer functions such as routing and mobility management, act on such outputs without accounting for their confidence or validity, errors may propagate across the protocol stack and degrade end-to-end performance. In this vision paper, we highlight that future 6G systems should move toward trust-aware cross-layer intelligence. We envision a trust-aware mechanism that complements existing 3GPP control and signaling procedures by attaching reliability-related information to AI outputs. We outline a conceptual system model spanning the physical (L1), MAC (L2), and network/service (L3) layers, with a teleoperation use case, and highlight the key open challenges for building more explainable and trustworthy AI-native mobile systems.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2026.
Keywords [en]
6G, cross-layer intelligence, trustworthy AI, explainable AI, teleoperation, mobile intelligence, uncertaintyaware wireless systems
National Category
Computer Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-81942OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ri-81942DiVA, id: diva2:2083564
Note
This work was supported by the Swedish Foundation forStrategic Research (SSF) under the project GEMINI (Generalized& Explainable 6G Mobile Intelligence) and by Vinnovaunder the Swedish Wireless Innovation Network (SweWIN).
QC 20260702
2026-07-022026-07-022026-07-02