AI in Defence Summit 2026: What the event will focus on and who will take part in it

Defender Media has become the official media partner of the AI in Defence Summit 2026, to be held on 2 February in Brussels. The program focuses on exploring the integration of artificial intelligence at the intersection of cyber operations, information security, and defence — including its critical role in UAVs and autonomous systems — as well as investment and startup opportunities.

The event is designed to move beyond theoretical discussions, acting as a direct conduit between policy articulation and the implementation of real capabilities. In particular, participants will examine how AI can simultaneously amplify and disrupt information operations in Europe and discuss practical methods for countering AI-generated disinformation. Special attention is paid to real-time threats and the organisation of collaborative defence between institutions.

The depth of the discussion is ensured by experts at the level of Heads of AI from leading European defence consortiums, Scientific Directors of state cyber agencies, investors, Senior Advisors on defence innovation, entrepreneurs, and representatives of battlefield operations.

Speakers include European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius; renowned journalist Mike Butcher; Capgemini’s AI Lead, Marijn Markus; Borys Nadykto, co-founder of Offset Labs; Brooks Newmark, founder of Trypillian; Tichomir Jenkut, partner at Presto Ventures; and others.

According to the organisers, Andriy Kolodyuk and Jerome Leclanche (Seven Capital), the summit’s main task is to move beyond theoretical discussions. They position the event as a conduit for transforming policy articulation into concrete military capabilities.

“We designed the event’s architecture to ensure a high return on effort. This is a pragmatic response to the demand for urgency to ensure European Defence and technological sovereignty, which is possible only by aligning the vectors between institutions and the deep tech ecosystem,” reads the joint statement of the founders.

By combining algorithm verification with experience from real battlefields and direct interaction between developers and capital, the AI in Defence Summit creates a functional environment for high-quality collaboration among customers, investors, and engineers.

Details and registration: https://aidefencesummit.eu/