Federated Multi Agent Deep Learning and Neural Networks for Advanced Distributed Sensing in Wireless Networks
Summary
A new survey, submitted on February 24, 2026, synthesizes the state of the art in Multi-Agent Deep Learning (MADL) for distributed sensing and wireless communications, focusing on research from 2021-2025. MADL, encompassing multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (MADRL), federated training, and graph neural networks, is presented as a unifying framework for decision-making in wireless systems where sensing, communication, and computing are tightly integrated. The survey details a task-driven taxonomy covering learning formulations like Markov games and Dec-POMDPs, neural architectures such as GNN-based radio resource management and attention-based policies, and advanced techniques including federated reinforcement learning and serverless edge learning orchestration. It also explores application domains like MEC offloading, UAV-enabled networks, intrusion detection, and ISAC-driven perceptive mobile networks, providing comparative tables on system-level trade-offs. The authors identify open issues such as scalability, non-stationarity, security vulnerabilities like poisoning and backdoors, communication overhead, and real-time safety, outlining future research directions for 6G-native systems.
Key takeaway
For research scientists developing 6G-native sense-communicate-compute-learn systems, you should prioritize addressing the identified open issues of scalability, non-stationarity, and security against poisoning and backdoors. Your focus on communication overhead and real-time safety will be crucial for practical deployments, guiding the development of robust and efficient distributed sensing solutions.
Key insights
MADL unifies decision-making and inference in tightly coupled wireless sensing, communication, and computing systems.
Principles
- 5G-Advanced and 6G visions strengthen integrated sensing and communication.
- Decentralized, partially observed problems are common in advanced wireless.
- Scalability and security are critical open issues for MADL in wireless.
Method
The survey employs a task-driven taxonomy across learning formulations, neural architectures, advanced techniques, and application domains to synthesize MADL research.
In practice
- Apply MADL for MEC offloading with network slicing.
- Utilize federated reinforcement learning for edge intelligence.
- Address security against poisoning in distributed sensor networks.
Topics
- Federated Learning
- Multi-Agent Deep Learning
- Wireless Networks
- Distributed Sensing
- Integrated Sensing and Communication
Best for: Research Scientist, AI Researcher, AI Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer
Related on AIssential
Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by cs.LG updates on arXiv.org.