For over eighty years, deterrence has been the cornerstone of global security, but artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems are now reshaping its foundations. Unlike nuclear or conventional deterrence, AI-enabled operations blur thresholds, compress decision-making time and empower both state and non-state actors. AI-enabled cyber campaigns, drone swarms, algorithmic targeting and machine-speed escalation raise critical questions:

How credible are deterrent threats when attribution is uncertain?

Can strategic stability endure when autonomy accelerates escalation and reduces human control?

What frameworks can manage risks that defy traditional deterrence logic?

This panel convenes leaders from defense, policy, AI ethics and technology to examine how AI and autonomy are altering deterrence theory and practice, and to explore the policies, strategies and cooperative mechanisms required for states, alliances and industry to adapt responsibly to a rapidly evolving security environment.

Christoph Lütge is Full Professor of Business Ethics at Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Director of the TUM Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IEAI). He is Distinguished Visiting Professor of Tokyo University and has held further visiting positions at Harvard (Berkman Klein Center), Taipei, Kyoto and others. Christoph has a background both in philosophy as well as information studies, having taken his PhD at the Technical University of Braunschweig in 1999 and his habilitation at the University of Munich (LMU) in 2005. In 2007, he was awarded a Heisenberg Fellowship by the German Research Foundation. His books were published by Oxford University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Edward Elgar, Springer and others.

Brigadier General David Barnes, PhD (US Army, Retired) is a senior executive and preeminent authority in artificial intelligence (AI), strategic digital transformation and innovation leadership. With extensive military, academic and technology experience, David has shaped organizational strategies and technological advancements in defense, healthcare, cybersecurity and higher education. As the founder and CEO of Empowering AI, he empowers boards and senior leaders to capitalize on AI-driven opportunities, ensuring they align innovation with strategic objectives and operational excellence. David’s distinguished career includes serving as Professor, United States Military Academy and the Chief AI Ethics Officer for the US Army AI Integration Center and he has advised organizations including IEEE, DARPA and NATO and served as a fellow at Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics in AI. He currently serves as a Visiting Professor at TUM’s Institute for Ethics in AI.

Lance Lindauer is a Visiting Affiliate Researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Bennett School of Public Policy and an Affiliate Researcher at TUM’s Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence. Lance is the Co-Founder & Executive Director Emeritus of the Partnership to Advance Responsible Technology (PART), a Pittsburgh-based NGO dedicated to the responsible research, development, deployment and governance of AI systems used to address global challenges across societies. He is also a founding Partner at Genus Research Group, an R&D firm dedicated to emerging-technology innovation within public sector domains. Lance spent nearly a decade at the RAND Corporation, serving in roles such as the Director of Operations for RAND’s National Defense Research Institute and an Innovation Consultant.  He also served a stint at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and has been an Adjunct Professor of Intelligence Analysis.

Lauren Kahn is a Senior Research Analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), focusing on the national security applications of AI. Previously, she was a Policy Advisor for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the US Department of Defense. Before entering government, Lauren served as a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania’s global policy think tank. Her work has appeared in outlets including Foreign Affairs, Lawfare, War on the Rocks, the Journal for Conflict Resolution and AI & Society, and has been featured in The Economist.

Maryna Tymchenko works in the private sector at the crossroads of AI and security, building commercial pathways for defense and dual-use technologies. As Director of Business Development and Operations at the American-Ukrainian startup Blue Arrow Defense and former CPO at Ukrainian company Sensorama Lab, she helps turn AI-driven autonomy and simulation into deployable products through partnerships and validation with end users. Maryna holds a Master’s in Security Studies and completed a fellowship at the Illinois Institute of Technology, bringing a pragmatic lens to topics like responsible AI, operational risk and adoption in high-stakes environments.

Felix Rank is co-founder and board member of the German Forum for Ethical Machine Decision Making (EME), a think tank advocating for the responsible use of algorithms and artificial intelligence. Specifically, he advocates for transparency around machine decisions which impact humans, help redefine safe environments and create awareness for downfalls of these systems. Felix is a Practice Lead, Machine Learning at a consultancy and Data Governance Expert at a leading insurance company in Munich as well as part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) expert network, Global Shaper Alumni, WEF Agenda Contributor and Co-Curator for the Strategic Intelligence platform on “Future of Work” as well as “Education and Skills”.

Register here.

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