AI for Defense Summit
- September 3-4, 2025
- 151 St. George, National Harbor, MD
Event Overview
The 4th Annual AI for Defense Summit will convene leading experts and innovators from across DoD, Military Services, federal government, intelligence community, industry, and academia to explore the strategic integration of artificial intelligence in defense operations. The event will highlight how AI is reshaping modern defense strategies, enhancing warfighting capabilities, and transforming the future of war.
2025 Confirmed Speakers
Agenda Updated July 16, 2025
-
Maj Gen Joseph Kunkel, USAF
Director of Force Design, Integration, & Wargaming, Air Force Futures, A5/7 -
Melinda K. Reed, SES
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Enabling Technology, OUSD(R&E) -
Andrew Evans, SES
Director, Army ISR Task Force, U.S. Army G-2 -
Lesley H. Bernys, SES
Executive Director, Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center -
Rocio Bauer
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Data, Engineering, & Software -
Col Timothy Helfrich, USAF
Senior Material Leader for Advanced Aircraft & Director of the Agile Development Office, Fighters & Advanced Aircraft Directorate, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center -
Sunil Madhugiri
CTO, U.S. Customs & Border Protection -
Nicolas Chaillan
CEO & Founder, Ask Sage -
Jennifer Swanson
VP, Digital & Next-Gen Solutions, Cypress International -
Alexis Bonnell
Partnership Manager, Open AI -
LT Artem Sherbinin, USN
CTO, Task Force Hopper, U.S. Naval Surface Force -
Young Bang
Operating Executive, The Carlyle Group Event Moderator
About the 2025 AI for Defense Summit
TOPICS TO BE COVERED
- Driving the integration of enabling capabilities to advance DoD technological modernization
- Generating warfighter decision advantage through accelerated AI deployment
- Leveraging Gen AI to solve critical warfighter problems
- Advancing AI-enabled warfighting systems
- Cutting-edge technological innovations to strengthen intelligence missions
- Deploying AI to enhance operational capabilities
- Harnessing human-machine integration to sustain a strategic advantage
- Software acquisition reform for accelerated innovation
- Safe & secure AI implementation to safeguard critical infrastructure
- Assuring confidence, reliability, & integrity in AI systems
Why You Should Attend This Summit
In an era of rapid technological advancement, artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping defense strategies and enhancing military operations. To maintain a strategic edge over rapidly modernizing adversaries, the United States is making substantial investments in AI research and development. For fiscal year 2025, the Department of Defense has requested $1.8 billion in funding for AI programs. The 2025 Summit will explore the latest trends, technologies, and strategies aimed at achieving and sustaining decision superiority in future warfare.
In an era of rapid technological advancement, artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping defense strategies and enhancing military operations. To maintain a strategic edge over rapidly modernizing adversaries, the United States is making substantial investments in AI research and development. For fiscal year 2025, the Department of Defense has requested $1.8 billion in funding for AI programs. The 2025 Summit will explore the latest trends, technologies, and strategies aimed at achieving and sustaining decision superiority in future warfare.
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the defense landscape, the 4th Annual AI for Defense Summit will bring together leaders from government, industry, and academia to examine how AI is driving advances in defense systems, natural language processing, autonomous technologies, cybersecurity, logistics, predictive maintenance, and more. Key discussions will focus on ethical and responsible AI use, training and education, strategic industry partnerships, and information dominance. Specialized panels will examine the growing role of Generative AI, operational AI applications that support the Warfighter, software acquisition reform, and AI integration across critical infrastructure sectors. Attendees of the 2025 AI for Defense Summit will gain valuable insights from commercial innovators and defense leaders on how AI innovation is being harnessed to create decision advantage and strengthen capabilities across all warfighting domains.
DSI’s team specializes in the extensive research and development of our Summit’s content and focus areas, and we will assemble the most respected minds in AI/ML as well as key policy makers across military and civilian offices. Our non-partisan approach allows us to reach across all services and organizations to bring together a truly holistic group of decision makers and solution providers.
At Our Summit You Have the Ability to
Gain Education & Insight: Walk away with knowledge gained from our senior level speakers on some of the most complex issues facing the DoD and government as it relates to artificial intelligence and autonomous capabilities.
Build Partnerships: The agenda is designed to allow for ample networking opportunities and the ability to discover some of the latest technologies, policy considerations, and solutions of interest to the DoD and government for AI, machine learning, and autonomy.
Influence: Help foster ideas! Share your own insight and knowledge during our interactive sessions. Our town hall format is your opportunity to address our speakers with questions or comments on the current mission.
Operating Guidance for Government Attendees
DSI’s Summit directly supports the DoD and Government mission priorities by providing a conduit for each speaker to efficiently reach audiences outside of their respective offices that directly impact their department’s mission success, at no charge to the government, and in an efficient expenditure of time.
DSI’s Summit will provide a forum to address and improve internal and external initiatives, meet with and hear from partner organizations, disseminate vital capability requirements to industry, increase visibility within the larger community, and generally support their mission. The Summit is open and complimentary to all DoD and Federal employees and is considered an educational and training forum.
(Industry and academia members are charged a fee for admission)
Summit is CLOSED TO PRESS / NO RECORDINGS
Sponsors & Exhibitors
The 2025 AI for Defense Summit provides opportunities including exhibit space, product demonstrations, and networking receptions.
BECOME A SPONSOR or ExhibitorPlatinum Sponsors
-
AutogenAI is a state-of-the-art tool that optimizes the proposal process for federal contractors. Built by proposal writers for proposal writers, AutogenAI significantly cuts down the time and effort needed to generate detailed and compliant submissions. AutogenAI ensures that proposals not only meet government standards, but are also crafted for maximum clarity and impact. With AutogenAI, federal contractors can streamline the bidding process, allowing them to concentrate more on strategic planning and securing contracts.
-
Everfox has protected critical data and networks from advanced cyber threats for over 25 years. Our trusted Cross Domain Solutions enable government, defense, and critical infrastructure to securely share sensitive information—now with the speed and scale AI demands. Accelerate AI. Secure the Mission.
Gold Sponsor
-
iWorks Corporation, founded in 2005, is a leading provider of information technology and professional services to the federal government. We are a recognized leader in personnel security and vetting solutions, Agile, DevOps, DevSecOps, data analytics and cloud solutions. Our continuous process improvement approach, combined with our business and technology expertise, results in innovative solutions. We are committed to quality and timely delivery. We are CMMI Level 4 appraised, and ISO 9001:2015, 20001:2011 and 27000 certified. We’re a company people like working for and with. Our staff recognized iWorks as Washington Post Top Workplace for three years, including 2018. For more information about iWorks Corporation, visit http://www.iworkscorp.com.
Exhibitor
-
Founded in 1993, SPEC Innovations supports government and defense organizations in developing and managing complex systems through consulting, training, and software. Our flagship product, Innoslate, is a secure, cloud-native model-based systems engineering (MBSE) platform that supports the full system lifecycle — from requirements and modeling to simulation, testing, and sustainment. Innoslate also includes built-in AI tools for quality analysis, traceability, and the automated generation of requirements, test cases, and risks, accelerating digital engineering and improving decision support. Learn more at www.specinnovations.com/innoslate.
Media Partners
-
Government Technology Insider brings together the insights of thought leaders and experts across all IT fields that influence how public sector agencies can leverage next-generation IT solutions to deliver on the mission. Our experts use this space to explore the latest innovations and most pressing tech-related issues faced by Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers and their teams. You can find out more at www.governmenttechnologyinsider.com
-
At our core, Times of AI is committed to delivering the most delinquent news, updates, and in-depth reports about AI from around the globe. Our mission is to familiarize readers with emerging technologies while bridging the gap between the AI industry and the masses. We aspire to become the leading and most trusted source for AI news, analysis, and insights, empowering enthusiasts, business leaders, and professionals to make informed decisions about the future of AI.
-
The enterprise tech world is evolving with newer ambitions. While the wings of innovation are spreading to newer skies, the technologists are finding it hard to play catch-up and are making sure they are in tune with the technology juggernaut. CIOCoverage aims to bridge this very gap that exists between the tech-savvy where he rests, in the very heart of it. Awakening a keen insight in you to move along the flow, CIOCoverage works to make the entrepreneurs, versatile to the sturdy technological influences. We specialise in unfurling the latest and the voguish technology, conglomerating even the meticulous details from every arena of technology. We assimilate the most required ways of contemplation to guide our dear readers to make it to the top, briskly. We intend to incubate the technological sorcery and succour our elite readers to espouse the ‘learn-from-peer’ approach, to not only curb the U.S. market but also, create a big difference as an enterprise. CIOCoverage intends to bring all the aforementioned aspects together. The industry CEOs, CXOs and the CIOs are key decision makers in their respective organization, and they need to be aware and abreast of all the latest advancements and technological surges, while also be thoughtful of the impeding pain points and help themselves evolve different ways to address those. Our editions will bring together all such areas which are considered prominent, be its technologies such as AI, Big Data, Cloud and other novel trends, or in driving innovations and practices within.
-
AI & Machine Learning Events
Discover the best hand-picked artificial intelligence and machine learning events
Learn more: https://aiml.events
-
AI Magazine connects the leading AI executives of the world’s largest brands. Our platform serves as a digital hub for connecting industry leaders, covering a wide range of services including media and advertising, events, research reports, demand generation, information, and data services.
-
