Agentic AI as a Network Control-Plane Intelligence Layer for Federated Learning over 6G
Organizations: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Republic of Korea. · Department of Artificial Intelligence, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Republic of Korea. · School of Computer Science, The University of Sydney, Australia · Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, and also with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 17104, Rep. of Korea
Abstract
The shift toward user-customized on-device learning places new demands on wireless systems: models must be trained on diverse, distributed data while meeting strict latency, bandwidth, and reliability constraints. To address this, we propose an Agentic AI as the control layer for managing federated learning (FL) over 6G networks, which translates high-level task goals into actions that are aware of network conditions. Rather than simply viewing FL as a learning challenge, our system sees it as a combined task of learning and network management. A set of specialized agents focused on retrieval, planning, coding, and evaluation utilizes monitoring tools and optimization methods to handle client selection, incentive structuring, scheduling, resource allocation, adaptive local training, and code generation. The use of closed-loop evaluation and memory allows the system to consistently refine its decisions, taking into account varying signal-to-noise ratios, bandwidth conditions, and device capabilities. Finally, our case study has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Agentic AI system's use of tools for achieving high performance.
Figures & tables
| Dimension | Traditional Agents | Agentic AI |
|---|---|---|
| Task Scope | Narrow, domain-specific tasks | Broad, cross-domain capabilities (coding, analysis) |
| Core Capability | Execute predefined rules | Generate plans, reason, and adjust module/plans autonomously |
| Flexibility | Low: fixed by hand-crafted logics | High: learn new tasks with multi-collaboration of agents |
| Autonomy Level | Requires explicit instructions | Proactive: Planning multi-step actions, self-reflective learning |
| Learning Ability | No inherent learning | Learns from context, memory, interaction, and agent feedback |
| Reasoning | Rule-based or symbolic reasoning | Natural-language reasoning, tool use, and chain-of-thought |
| Feature | Conventional FL | AutoML for FL | Agentic FL (Proposed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperparameter tuning | Manual | Automated | Multi-agent reasoning |
| Client selection | Heuristic | Static optimization | Context-aware planning |
| Network awareness | Limited | Minimal | Joint cross-layer reasoning |
| Control-plane intelligence | None | Limited | Persistent memory-based |
| Constrained Resources | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of Potential Clients | 15 |
| Dropout Clients | 30% |
| Communication Bandwidth Per Channel | 5 MHz |
| Number of Available Channels | |
| SNR Range for User | 10-25 dB |
| Communication Rounds | 10 |
Federated Learning
Federated learning trains shared models across data holders without requiring them to pool their raw data.
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