Preface

The convergence of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), Blockchain, and Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) marks a revolutionary step toward building intelligent, secure, and transparent cyber-physical systems. As AI increasingly drives decision-making in critical IoT ecosystems, from smart cities and healthcare to autonomous transportation and digital libraries, concerns about security, privacy, and trust have grown substantially. The inherent opacity of many AI models, particularly deep learning architectures, makes it challenging for users, stakeholders, and regulators to trust automated decisions. This makes explainability not just a desirable attribute but an essential requirement in AIoT. While Blockchain has emerged as a transformative technology for decentralization and security, integrating it meaningfully with AIoT and enhancing it with explainability remain underexplored and complex domain. This book, "Explainable AI for Secure and Transparent Blockchain Integration in AIoT," aims to bridge this vital gap by addressing both foundational and advanced research challenges. This book is intended for a wide range of audiences, including:

• Researchers and scholars interested in AI, blockchain, security, and explainable AI paradigms.

• Technology practitioners and developers aiming to implement secure and interpretable AIoT solutions.

• Policy makers and regulatory bodies are concerned with the ethical and transparent deployment of AI in connected environments.

By combining deep theoretical foundations with cutting-edge research and real-world case studies, this book aspires to serve as a holistic reference and guide for anyone seeking to understand and contribute to the emerging field of explainable, secure, and transparent AIoT systems integrated with blockchain.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all contributors, reviewers, and editors who have enriched this volume with their expertise and vision. We hope that this work stimulates further research, fosters industry innovations, and inspires responsible AIoT development in the years to come.