About Session
Investments in AI including generative AI (gAI) is exploding – all of us, as investors in the room, are part of this explosion – with investments in AI and gAI in the past decade exceeding $1.6 trillion. Investing in AI is investing in the future – it is the beacon of transformative change – a paradigm shift in how businesses, consumers, governments operate and make decisions. A critical issue for investors to understand and evaluate in their investments is the dual-use capability of AI and gAI technology which have capabilities across both civilian and military applications and deployments.
Commercial innovation that has developed and deployed civilian-focused tools – from drones and satellites originally designed for agriculture or aerial mapping to generative models like ChatGPT – is increasingly being repurposed for military use. Dual-use capabilities have enabled the exploitation of the scale and agility of commercial innovation to be developed, purchased, modified and deployed by military forces around the globe. Military AI represents the deadliest application of what is currently the biggest driver of financial speculation and investment in global AI markets with growth in gAI investment far outpacing AI investments.
Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, an exponential increase in active global conflicts and war, military imperatives and corporate interests are no longer separate threads but are instead inseparably interwoven in the fabric of technological innovation. Is investing in AI/gAI indistinguishable from investing in war?
During this session, we will learn from research conducted by Empower how global private-sector investment in AI and gAI is generally dominated by Big Tech firms, but also with significant holdings by public and private pension funds, as well as a group of VC investors and entrepreneurs with influence in the second Trump administration. Through an expert panel discussion – we will further explore how the changing landscape of dual-use technologies is intrinsically tied into current geopolitical ambitions, rising conflict and militarization and the touted criticality of the AI Arms Race. How the most influential AI and gAI private companies have turned their focus to military applications – and how this is also largely needed to generate enough revenues and create returns for investors to justify the billions of dollars invested.