Learning in federated and dynamic environments: A tutorial on challenges, trends, and practical strategies
Mirko Polato, Barbara Hammer, Manuel Röder, Frank-Michael Schleif · Neurocomputing · 2026
Federated learning enables privacy-preserving machine learning across distributed data sources, but real-world deployments face challenges that extend beyond standard protocols. This tutorial provides a structured overview of the field, addressing issues such as non-stationary data, client heterogeneity, resource constraints, and security threats. Beyond existing surveys, it incorporates hands-on insights and deployment experiences, including concrete war stories illustrating how federated learning methods perform under real-world conditions. The tutorial also outlines emerging directions, including federated graph learning, game-theoretic approaches, and sustainable AI concepts. It aims to provide both a conceptual framework and practical guidance for researchers and practitioners advancing federated learning in dynamic and evolving environments.