What’s the Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Future of 5G and Beyond?

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Introduction

5G and AI are two fundamental components driving future innovation. They are inherently synergistic – improvements in AI can help improve 5G system performance and efficiency. At the same time, the proliferation of 5G-connected devices can support distributed intelligence with continuous advances in learning and inference artificial intelligence. As the role of intelligence on the device becomes increasingly important, the transformation of the connected, intelligent edge has begun, which is key to realizing the full potential of our 5G future.

In more ways than ever before, artificial intelligence (AI) is giving our civilization better experiences and new capabilities. Artificial intelligence allows our devices to watch, think, and behave naturally, changing the way we approach and solve technological problems. 

At the same time, our primary research in the field of 5G allows us to build a cellular system that can effectively connect practically everything around us. Today, the global transition to 5G is in full swing. More than 175 mobile operators have launched commercial 5G services worldwide, and many more are actively investing in new 5G deployments.

What Role will Artificial Intelligence play in 5G Networks?

The adoption of 5G networks comes with many complexities, and one of the ways the industry addresses these complexities is by integrating artificial intelligence into the networks. By the end of 2020, 132 international mobile providers said they anticipated using AI in their 5G networks. The primary goal of AI integration is to reduce capital expenditure, optimize network performance and build new revenue. By enhancing network quality and providing individualized services, AI is already being utilized to enhance customer service and the customer experience. Using artificial intelligence in network planning is the best method to recoup the investment spent on switching networks to 5G. Other areas where cellular decision-makers intend to focus AI investments include SLA management, product lifecycles, networks, and revenue.

There are, of course, challenges associated with integrating AI into 5G networks. Efficient mechanisms must be developed to collect, structure, and analyze the enormous volumes of data collected by artificial intelligence. For this reason, early adopters of artificial intelligence who find solutions to these challenges will become clear pioneers once 5G networks come together.

Our Learners Also Read: Leveraging Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for 5G

AI Needs in Mobile Networks Prior to 5G

A study that examined the present state of the art and aspirations for AI adoption by mobile network operators and international service providers was led by Ericsson, one of the top producers of mobile systems in the world. The study found that operators have mainly adopted AI to enable them to transition to 5G and guarantee optimized investments. In addition, with 4G/4.5G, there has already been an increased complexity in managing large devices and vast amounts of data. Operators hope that AI and ML will help reduce this complexity. The study also came to the following other important conclusions:-

• With a key focus on lowering capital expenditure, enhancing network performance, and creating new revenue streams, AI is already being introduced into networks. The advantages of incorporating AI into their networks are already being reaped by operators all around the world. By the end of 2020, 53% of service providers anticipate having fully incorporated some component of AI into their networks.
• Artificial intelligence will be fundamental to improving customer service, and customer experience generally referred to as "Quality of Experience (QoE)". Artificial intelligence is expected to help providers further enhance the customer experience in a number of ways, including improving network quality and delivering personalized services.
• Artificial intelligence will help recover the investment that communications service providers (CSPs) make in their networks to transition to 5G. Reducing operational costs and ensuring return on network investment are vital priorities that service providers are trying to achieve with AI. Network intelligence and automation are critical to developing 5G, IoT, and industrial digitization. As technologies supporting 5G evolve, operators must increase their network capacity. However, the added ability introduces additional complexity.

How Does 5G help AI?

The idea behind edge computing is to process and analyze data on servers that are closer to the applications they support. Many have stated that the introduction of "connected" devices like coffee cups and pill dispensers has not resulted in the market growth as projected, despite its rising popularity and opening up new opportunities for telecom service providers, among other businesses. However, recent technological advances in artificial intelligence have begun to revolutionize industries and the amount of value this connectivity can provide consumers through the combination of big data, IoT, and artificial intelligence.

5G speeds up this transformation because its network architecture is easily able to handle AI processing. The future of artificial intelligence will shift as a result of 5G network architecture. 5G will increase the speed and integration of other technologies, while AI will enable machines and systems to operate with human-like levels of intelligence. In short, 5G accelerates cloud services while AI analyzes and learns from the same data faster.

Artificial Intelligence in 5G

While the development toward 4G/LTE has been driven by higher mobile data speeds, the 5G system is confronted with stricter and more diverse requirements, as summarized in Table 1. The deployment of 5G systems seeks to provide high throughput and ultra-low communication latency to improve the quality of user experience (QoE). To meet these requirements, 5G focuses on three development axes to cope with new application areas: autonomous cars/driving, industrial automation/intelligent manufacturing (Industry 4.0), virtual reality, e-health, etc.

5G Applications in Artificial Intelligence

The applications for AI will not be immediate, but they will be very significant.

Although Artificial Intelligence is probably more common than generally believed, its impact has been limited. The ultimate impact of AI is still to come, even though the majority of us use it without even recognizing it, such as when we use our smartphones as navigational aids.

5G and AI Use Cases – Consumer

The convergence of 5G and AI will support the emergence of a meta version.

The hype of 2021 regarding the beta version has partly turned into cynicism. Part of the problem here is the definition of the meta version. On one level, it evokes thoughts of a Matrix-type world, but in reality, its meaning is more prosaic. Zoom calls involve meta versions; they define it as a combination of the digital and physical worlds.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

The metaverse will be supported by virtual and augmented reality or immersive reality, and it will be transformed by 5G and AI.

By delivering 3D viewing and virtual reality to support how we communicate, for instance, the fusion of 5G and AI will lead to new use cases in gaming and streaming services. Social networks will change as a result.

Real-time language translation tools are just one example of the capabilities that will be made possible by the confluence of AI and 5G in our daily lives.

B2B Use Cases for AI and 5G

There will be many business-to-business applications, but one of the most important aspects will be the support of 5G, which provides remote work. Take as an example how Grammarly supports communication through text. But as virtual and augmented reality technologies advance, it's not hard to imagine how 5G and AI could transform remote work and mobile work.

5G and AI Automation Use Cases

However, there is also the issue of automation technologies with B2B. We will have greater opportunities for innovation and automation thanks to 5G, which will widen the scope of digital transformation. As a result of all these physical operations and linked devices, we will have access to additional data and insights that we can utilize to train AI and apply to business and process analytics. On the other side, chances for intelligent, goal-driven service automation will increase.

Industrial Use Cases of AI and 5G

Office automation is one opportunity, but the combination of 5G and AI will also boost industry and manufacturing; on one level, it will be able to support equipment maintenance, monitor machinery, and identify potential problems in advance, but it also presents the tempting prospect of remote machine control.

Transportation

Transportation connectivity, including autonomous vehicles, drones, and transportation infrastructure, such as ensuring that traffic lights support optimal traffic flow, will be transformed by AI and 5G working in parallel.

Healthcare

The opportunities offered by AI and 5G in healthcare are many, but one of the most enticing will involve remote monitoring of patients while they are away.

Conclusion

There are, of course, challenges associated with integrating AI into 5G networks. Efficient mechanisms must be developed to collect, structure, and analyze the vast volumes of data collected by artificial intelligence. For this reason, early adopters of artificial intelligence who find solutions to these challenges will become clear pioneers once 5G networks come together.

However, the aforementioned is just the beginning of the use cases for AI with 5G. The fusion of these technologies will be very significant, release artificial intelligence, and eventually justify much of the hype over the previous ten years.

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