Where AI meets blockchain

Your work has real-world impact. Which breakthroughs from your lab are you most proud of for their tangible benefits to people today? 

We focus on applications that deliver real societal impact. One example is a metaverse-based system designed to help people overcome claustrophobia through an engaging, immersive virtual reality training. To protect sensitive patient data, we used blockchain—a tamper-proof digital ledger—to ensure complete privacy and security. 

Beyond healthcare, blockchain offers a secure, transparent and verifiable method for managing and sharing critical information across many sectors. For instance, it can track the full journey of sensitive items, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, military and nuclear equipment or pharmaceuticals, as well as complex products assembled from multiple components.  

In the food industry, blockchain has equally powerful applications. By tracing agriculture products from farm to shelf and recording every production, transport and certification step, blockchain provides full transparency. This helps prevent greenwashing, verifies sustainability claims and strengthens consumer trust in the products they buy.  

You have been recognized as one of 2025’s Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate’s Web of Science. What does it mean to the team at KU? 

It’s an international acknowledgment that the work my team and I have been doing is making a real contribution to the global research community. It also highlights the quality of research at Khalifa University, which in turn strengthens our reputation worldwide. The number of Highly Cited Researchers [HCRs] is now widely recognized as a key metric in global university rankings. Top-ranked institutions consistently invest in maintaining a strong HCR presence to secure their leadership. Ultimately, it helps us attract stronger collaborations, talented students and new research opportunities.  

“Technology moves at a breathtaking pace.” 

Khaled Salah 

What excites you the most for the future of your field? 
AI agents will soon automate complex processes in ways we cannot yet fully envision, and what excites me most is how AI can converge with other digital technologies. In my lab, we’re exploring how blockchain can be combined with AI and large language models to address challenges that neither technology could solve alone. While AI currently dominates public attention, blockchain continues to solve problems related to trust, integrity and transparency that no other technology can. 

How can blockchain and AI work together to solve complex problems? 

We recently won the Best Paper Award at the 2025 IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society conference for work showing how combining blockchain and AI can transform the management of regulated medications. This is a highly sensitive process involving manufacturers, distributors, healthcare facilities and regulators. We used blockchain to record every transaction, ensuring full accountability across the supply chain. Then, we designed a customized version of ChatGPT to automate and accelerate the process. The combination allowed us to drastically cut down on development time and automate the secure flow of data. 

What advice do you have for young researchers entering this field? 

Technology moves at a breathtaking pace. Build strong foundations by taking rigorous courses and reading highly cited papers to understand the fundamentals. Stay curious, read widely, attend conferences and collaborate across disciplines. Above all, be flexible and adapt: research fields shift quickly and your ability to pivot and learn continuously will be one of your greatest strengths.