AI in Defence Summit 2027: dates, venue and reasons to attend

The AI in Defence Summit will take place at SQUARE Brussels on 1 March 2027. The event will bring together representatives of defence ministries, EU and NATO institutions, the defence industry, startups and investors. One of the main themes will be applying lessons from the war in Ukraine to developing European defence tech. Defender Media is the event’s official media partner.

The morning programme will include plenary discussions on Europe’s technological sovereignty, hybrid attacks, experience from the Ukrainian front, and the economics of modern warfare. In the afternoon, three parallel tracks will run: Capital & Policy, Hybrid Warfare, and Autonomy & Hardware.

The announced topics include defence procurement in the age of AI, policy on defence and dual-use technologies, investment in European defence technology, UAVs and autonomous swarms, edge AI, cybersecurity, attacks on critical infrastructure, and target detection and interception. A separate session will focus on defence start-ups and innovation.

Confirmed speakers include:

• European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius;
• NATO Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Benedetta Berti;
• Guillaume de La Brosse, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s DG DEFIS;
• Ajay Chakravarty, Chief AI Officer at Thales UK;
• Joonas Vainumäe, Chief of AI & Autonomy of the Estonian Defence Forces.

The list also includes representatives of the European Defence Agency, the European Defense Tech Hub and other organisations.

AI in Defence Startup Awards 2027

The summit will also host the AI in Defence Startup Awards competition. Start-ups from the EU, Norway, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Canada working with AI for defence are eligible to participate.

Applications are open until 31 December 2026.

The organisers will announce 15 finalists on 15 January, to be assessed by an independent jury. Three winners will be selected by 1 February, with their names announced at the summit on 1 March. They will be able to present their products to the event audience.

The winners will also receive VIP tickets to the summit and opportunities to meet investors and other participants, while the competition’s partners will provide more than €30,000 in prize money.

Details and the full event agenda