About Session

The world is now experiencing more conflict than at any point since World War II, with 152,000 conflict-related deaths recorded in 2024. Unsurprisingly, the global defense industry has responded to meet this increased demand, with the top 100 aerospace and defense companies generating a record $922 billion profit in 2024. The industry is expanding, diversifying, and is increasingly defined by the proliferation of an array of new military- and dual-use technologies (or “defense tech”). The human costs of these technologies—ranging from the collection and weaponization of personal data to the increasing use of artificial intelligence in military operations to the deployment of lethal autonomous weapons systems—are staggering. In the midst of human peril and surging defense profits, how can responsible investors meet their ethical, legal, human rights, and fiduciary responsibilities? This session will highlight these most severe and systemic risks by exploring the defense and defense tech landscape, evolving responses by European regulators and investors, and a case study and call to action regarding lethal autonomous weapons systems.