The phrases ‘AI-native’ and ‘intelligent distributed sensing’ spring out of a paper just published by the Next G Alliance (NGA), a body launched by the USA’s Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS). Billed as an initiative for North American wireless technology leadership over the next decade, it therefore plays into the 6G moniker, which the paper outlines in a timeline for realization of concepts and ambitions it outlines. The main idea is that by embedding AI, meaning primarily various forms and levels of machine learning, in distributed networks of sensors and control points, much greater levels of autonomy and intelligence can be achieved across multiple sectors. Cutting through the acronyms and jargon, the NGA paper is talking about distributed network…