Consider a world where human decision-making and thought processes play less of a role in the day-to-day functioning of society. Think now of the implications this would have for the security and defence sector. Over the next few decades, it is likely that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not only have major implications for most areas of society such as healthcare, communications and transport, but also for security and defence. AI can be broadly defined as systems that display intelligent behaviour and perform cognitive tasks by analysing their environment, taking actions and even sometimes learning from experience. The complex attributes of the human mind are well known, but to replicate most of these abilities in machine or algorithmic form has given policymakers and scholars pause for thought.

The conference was designed to not only demystify the application of AI in defence, but to also reflect on the responsible use of AI. Approximately 70 individuals from EU member state governments, EU institutions, industry and academia attended the event and the organisers had the pleasure of welcoming speakers from the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the European Commission, the European Defence Agency, the European Parliament, the EU Satellite Centre, the Finnish Ministry of Defence, NATO, the Political and Security Committee and industry and academia. Participants engaged in a stimulating debate about military interoperability, industrial sovereignty and ethics.