The 13 articles in this special section focus on artificial intelligence and cognitive wireless communications. With the rapid development of wireless communication and networking technologies, novel information services and applications are booming globally. Advanced communications and networks greatly enhance users’ experience and have had a significant impact on all aspects of people’s lives, including at home, at work, in social exchanges, and economically. Although these advanced techniques have extensively improved users’ quality of experience (QoE), they are not adequate to meet the various requirements of seamless wide area coverage, high-capacity hotspot, low-power massive connections, low latency and high reliability, and other scenarios. Under the new service paradigm, artificial intelligence (AI) is significant for cognitive wireless communications to meet various technical challenges. The application potential includes complicated decision making, wireless network management, resource optimization, and in-depth knowledge discovery in complex wireless networking environments. These articles present a comprehensive view of research challenges and opportunities regarding AI for cognitive wireless communications in order to cope with the extreme demands of user experience, efficiency, and performance in a complex wireless networking environment.