AI Empowered Cyber-Physical Systems and Security
A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Networks".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: vehicular communications; cyber–physical security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: internet of things; machine learning and cybersecurity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Artificial intelligence is transforming smart cyber–physical systems (CPSs) by enhancing sensing, communication, control, and large-scale decision-making across industrial networks, robotic platforms, transportation systems, and critical infrastructures. As CPSs evolve toward highly interconnected, data-intensive, and autonomous operation, AI-driven algorithms offer unprecedented opportunities to improve system efficiency, real-time adaptability, and operational safety. However, the increasing complexity of cross-layer interactions, spanning computing, networking, and physical processes, also introduces significant challenges. These include dynamic resource allocation, reliable decision-making under uncertainty, the explainability of AI behaviors, and the need to safeguard CPSs against sophisticated cyberattacks and privacy risks. Ensuring the robustness, security, and trustworthiness of AI-enabled CPSs has become a critical research frontier.
This Special Issue invites high-quality original research, short communications, and review articles focusing on the integration of AI, optimization, and security technologies for next-generation CPSs. Submissions may address intelligent control, resilient system design, advanced machine learning for CPS modeling, secure data-driven decision-making, and AI-supported cybersecurity solutions.
Topics of interest include:
- Intelligent CPS architectures;
- Autonomous robotics and perception;
- Large AI models for CPS;
- Privacy-preserving analytics;
- Cyber-attack detection and defense mechanisms;
- Resilient operation in complex or adversarial environments.
Contributions that demonstrate novel methodologies, practical implementations, or cross-disciplinary insights are particularly encouraged.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Kun Hua
Dr. Hansong Xu
Dr. Xiaohan Zhang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- AI-enabled cyber–physical systems
- intelligent security
- resilient industrial control
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
