A new perspective on goal-oriented semantic communication in the era of networked intelligence

Future communication systems will cater to emerging cyber-physical and decentralized interactive systems, such as swarm robotics, self-driving vehicles, and smart IoT. The interconnection of myriad sensing- and learning-empowered devices will underpin the global functioning of our societies, enabling formidable progress at various sectors. The realization of this euphoric dream however hinges upon networks’ ability to deliver on an unprecedented number of highly demanding requirements. As we move into the era of distributed networked intelligence, a fundamental paradigm shift is necessary to satisfy the pressing needs for reliable real-time communication, autonomous decision-making, and timely distributed processing. In this talk, we introduce effective goal-oriented communication, which entails an application/context-dependent, non-separable optimization of information generation, transmission, and utilization, via the semantics of information, i.e., the significance and the usefulness of messages with respect to the goal of data exchange. We highlight fundamental concepts, essential principles, and key functionalities required for effectively conveying only information representations and features, which are timely, relevant, and valuable for achieving end users’ goals. Finally, we discuss the potential and the technical challenges associated with this promising avenue of research.