Intelligent metasurfaces: Integration of artificial intelligence technology and metasurfaces

Over the past decade, metasurfaces have attracted great interest in the global research community due to their extraordinary performance parameters and electromagnetic properties. However, due to the simulation nature of metasurfaces, most of the initial research focused on manipulating the electromagnetic field and waves. It was not until the concept of digitally coded metasurfaces was proposed that the space for the digital design of metasurfaces was opened up, and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) introduced new methods for metasurface design. The intelligent metasurface formed by the combination of AI and information metasurfaces has become an emerging concept. This review mainly introduces the principles and properties of intelligent metasurfaces, including the concept of information metasurfaces, the programmability and real-time control capabilities of intelligent metasurfaces, etc. Then, the progress in achieving automated design of metasurfaces using AI technology is introduced, and the current applications, development prospects, and challenges of intelligent metasurfaces are discussed.