Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics 2026

In person (Geneva) and online

18-19 June 2026

UNIDIR’s Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics 2026 (#AISE26) will bring together a wide range of stakeholders – including diplomats, policymakers, academia, civil society, industry and research laboratories – to examine the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for international peace and security.

With AI systems rapidly evolving, their governance sits at the forefront of global policy agendas. AI is no longer a frontier question: its development, deployment and use actively shape national, regional and global security environments. As such, policymakers and regulators increasingly recognize the need for shared understandings, norms, coordinated approaches and cross-border cooperation.

Recent milestones – including General Assembly resolution 79/239, the Secretary-General’s report on AI in the military domain and resolution 80/58 – mark a shift toward implementation, practical measures and sustained engagement among States and stakeholders. As innovation accelerates across governments, industry and research institutions, aligning technological development with policy frameworks has become essential. The coming years will be pivotal in defining the trajectory of AI governance in the security domain and ensuring it remains grounded in international law, existing norms and responsible practice.

In this context, UNIDIR is convening the Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics 2026. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event and the ongoing work of the Roundtable for AI, Security and Ethics, the conference will bring together diplomats and policymakers, as well as experts from the military, industry, academia, civil society and research labs.

Aiming to bridge technical and policy communities and strengthen cooperative approaches to AI-related security challenges, the conference agenda draws on global submissions aiming to advance technology solutions, governance frameworks, and practical use-cases for AI security and ethics. Together, the multi-stakeholder community will address the complex implications of AI for national, regional and global security and resilience. The conference will be held consecutively to the 2026 informal exchanges on AI in the military domain in Geneva, pursuant to resolution 80/58.

Agenda

Also available below in accessible, plain-text format.

Day 1: Technology

Thursday, 18 June 2026

08:00 | Registration

09:00 – 09:25 | Opening remarks

Dr Robin Geiss, Director, UNIDIR
Izumi Nakamitsu, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Office for Disarmament Affairs

Theme I: Technology 101

This first cluster of sessions will offer a series of presentations and discussions on select themes surrounding the technological foundations of AI and security. Specifically, speakers will explore what algorithmic bias means across sectors and its implications, dual-use technologies and agentic AI – providing an opportunity to explore both long-standing and emerging concepts. Additionally, this thematic segment will also offer an opportunity for speakers to consider the relationship between data distribution, interface design, as well as testing, evaluation, verification and validation processes with AI governance in the context of defence and security.

09:30 – 10:00 | Thematic deep dive – The Lost in Translation Series: Bias

Dr Jane Pinelis, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
Kerstin Vignard, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

10:02 – 10:07 | Lightning talk – Persona-based auditing of geopolitical bias in large language models

Rumeysa Savran, University of Technology Nuremberg

10:08 – 10:13 | Lightning talk – Breaking the black box: A standardized lifecycle model for adversarial AI testing

Bandana Kaur, HackWitHer

10:15 – 10:45 | Thematic deep dive – Advai Model Arena: Redefining how defence evaluates and procures AI

Ben Fawcett, Advai

10:50 – 11:30 | Executive level Fireside Chat

11:32 – 12:02 | Thematic deep dive – Governance of dual use responsible AI systems

Maj. General Dr Pawan Anand, United Service Institution of India

12:04 – 12:09 | Lightning talk – Regulating capability, not code: A new approach to dual-use AI

Theshaya Naidoo, University of Kwazulu Natal

12:10 – 12:40 | Thematic deep dive – Making AI governance enforceable: Scalable assurance for high-stakes systems in government and the private sector

Daniel Ross, Dynamo AI
Hon. Harjit Singh Sajjan, Former Minister of Defence of Canada

12:42 – 12:47 | Lightning talk – Artificial intelligence and international humanitarian law: Can machine analysis actually reduce civilian harm?

Dr Vadim Kozyulin, Russian Diplomatic Academy

12:47 – 12:52 | Lightning talk – Governing agentic AI in cyber defence: Practical observations from public frameworks

Asim Khwaja, UK Civil Service*

12:52 – 12:57 | Lightning talk – Who’s in the loop when the loop keeps moving? When static governance meets agentic decision support that remembers, reprioritizes and reaches

Ulysse Richard, UNODA

12:57 – 13:02 | Lightning talk – When AI agents become the attacker’s best assets

Yagmur Ceren Atay, Independent AI Security Researcher

13:02 – 14:00 | Lunch

Participants are invited to visit the poster exhibition and demo stand.

Theme II: Applications and integration

This second cluster of sessions will consist of a series of presentations and reflections on the integration of responsible AI principles into product lifecycles, counter-AI capabilities, infrastructure dependence, offline AI resilience, and explore some of the under-studied dimension of the ‘human element’ through discussions on behavioural science and the potential use of AI to support the mental health of veterans.

14:00 – 14:30 | Demo – Building blocks for AI Governance

Michael Adams, Palantir

14:32 – 15:02 | Thematic deep dive – Function, not fiction: Rethinking AI-military integration

Dr Andrew Reddie, UC Berkeley

15:05 – 15:35 | Thematic deep dive – The emerging AI battlespace: Counter-AI threats to AI-powered satellite remote sensing analysis

Dr Jingjie He, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

15:37 – 15:42 | Lightning talk – The clock is already running: How quantum breaks the security promises underneath AI governance

Maysem Alagamy, The American University in Cairo

15:43 – 15:48 | Lightning talk – When systems fail: Offline AI resilience for crisis response in the Global South

Evert Bopp, Crisis Cognition

15:49 – 15:54 | Lightning talk – Sovereignty under code: AI infrastructure dependence and the reconfiguration of security decision-making in Africa

Barrack Ogada, University of Nairobi

15:55 – 16:00 | Lightning talk – Governing the unlabelled: How weak classification and labelling destroy our trust in AI

Tasnime El Mir, Keystone Group

16:05 – 16:10 | Lightning talk – Bridging the algorithmic gap: A universal data neutrality protocol for the military AI trade

Zaheema Iqbal, Pakistan National Cyber Emergency Response Team, Cabinet Division, Islamabad*
Prof. Muhammad Khurram Khan, King Saud University

16:12 – 16:42 | Thematic deep dive – Human-centered proactivity in defence AI: Rethinking agency, judgment and responsibility

Christiana Onoja, Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria
Col. Felix Alaita, Kryterion Limited

16:44 – 17:14 | Thematic deep dive – When AI cannot distinguish distress from threat: The case for behavioural validity in AI governance

Dr Hina Tahseen, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

17:15 – 17:45 | Thematic deep dive – Minds on the front line: Governing AI tools for military and veteran mental health

Clara Kaluderovic, Mental Health Global

17:45 – 17:50 | Closing of day 1

18:00 – 19:00 | Reception

Day 2: Governance

Friday, 19 June 2026

08:00 | Registration

09:00 – 09:07 | Opening of day 2

Theme III: Stakeholder perspectives

This third cluster of sessions will consist of a series discussions and presentations that will explore the role of investors, best practices from the private sector and public-private partnerships. The sessions will also unpack regional perspectives, particularly in the context of deployment and national strategy development in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, in addition to a discussion on a concrete yet under-studied application intimately linked with compliance, namely the use of deepfakes and the implications on the protection of prisoners of war.

09:10 – 10:00 | Panel – Governance and the role of investors

Samuel Jones, Heartland Initiative
Aparna Surendra, AWO
Christopher Chang, Simplex Heritage

10:03 – 10:53 | Panel – The responsibility chain: From international norms to industry practice

Dr Anke Allenhoefer, Helsing
Emelie Roer-Eide, Kongsberg Gruppen
Michael Karimian, Microsoft
Alex Tsado, Udu Technologies
OHCHR

10:55 – 11:00 | Lightning talk – Public-private power: Who really governs AI in security and defence in the new techno-geopolitical order?

Yuliya Tseshkovskaya, PIR Center

11:03 – 11:08 | Lightning talk – The role of national strategies for the governance of AI in the military domain: Best practices from Kenya

Maj. Jamal Mohamed Hassan, Ministry of Defence of Kenya

11:09 – 11:14 | Lightning talk – Closing the governance gap: African perspectives on inclusive AI frameworks for international peace and security

Mekitmfon AwakEssien, African Union*

11:15 – 11:20 | Lightning talk – When security justifies opacity: Human agency, algorithmic accountability and destabilization risks in post-conflict AI governance

Mariana Beselga, Policy Hub for Inclusive Development

11:24 – 11:54 | Executive level Fireside Chat

11:57 – 12:27 | Thematic deep dive – Collateral code: How military AI governance failures disproportionately threaten small island developing States

Ashlie Robinson, Jamaica Artificial Intelligence Association

12:30 – 13:00 | Thematic deep dive – “This black darkness of not knowing”: Can prisoner-of-war AI deepfakes be governed by IHL?

Dr Matthew Kennedy, Oxford Internet Institute
Nathan Heath, National Security Innovations

13:05 – 14:00 | Lunch

Participants are invited to visit the poster exhibition and demo stand.

Theme IV: Reflections for the present and the future

This fourth and final cluster of sessions will consist of a combination of presentations and panel discussions to reflect on a collective intelligence exercise ran throughout the Conference, the role of the UN to advance soft-law measures, the nexus between AI and other disarmament fields, and reflections for the way ahead.

14:00 – 14:30 | Thematic deep dive – Governance with teeth: A live requirements blueprint for AI in security and defence

Phaedra Boinodiris, IBM Consulting

14:33 – 15:03 | Thematic deep dive – Agreement in the age of algorithms: Building US-China norms for AI and national security

Tim Rutherford, Minderoo Foundation
Xiao Qian, Tsinghua University
Dr R. David Edelman, MIT and The Brookings Institution

15:05 – 15:10 | Lightning talk – Bridging the governance gap: A UN-led softlaw framework for military AI and the role of NATO

Nakul Nayyar, NATO Joint Air Power Competence Center

15:10 – 15:15 | Lightning talk – From silent standard-setting to international cooperation: The United Nations and AI security governance

Arevik Martirosyan, School of International Information Security

15:18 – 15:48 | Thematic deep dive – The accountability gap in AI-enabled military systems: Why compliance frameworks cannot substitute for directed responsibility

Mohammad Mohsen Yasin, Independent Researcher

15:50 – 16:35 | Panel – Convergence of AI with other disarmament fields

Kazuo Noguchi, Hitachi America, Ltd.
Dr Naeem Salik, Strategic Vision Institute
Artem Lomakin, Arms Control Negotiation Academy Fellow 2024-2025
Edward Tsoi, AI Safety Asia
Amy Chang, Cisco

16:35 – 17:50 | Mini panels – Thematic discussions on the way ahead

17:50 – 18:00 | Closing remarks

18:00 | Group picture

*The speakers participate and contribute strictly in their personal capacity. The views expressed in their talks are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of their employers.

When and where

Thursday, 18 June and Friday, 19 June 2026 | In person at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, and online.

Call for financial contributions

UNIDIR welcomes voluntary financial contributions to support complementary efforts that enhance the conference’s accessibility, visibility and impact. Donors’ support will help expand the conference’s reach and effectiveness by enabling:

Broader participation: Supporting the in-person attendance of diverse experts, thought leaders and emerging voices.
Stronger discussions: Improving the quality of exchanges through increased visibility and communications support.
Greater impact: Supporting the production of conference outputs that contribute to global efforts on AI governance in security and defence.

The Global Conference on AI, Security and Ethics 2026 serves as a catalyst for action and donors’ generous support contributes to building a more secure world, together. There is no set minimum contribution, and all support is welcome.

The call for voluntary contributions is open until Sunday, 24 May 2026. Learn more about how to contribute.