National security meets next-gen tech at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025’s AI Defense panel

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is wherever breakthrough ideas conscionable the real-world challenges that specify the aboriginal — and with implicit 10,000 startup and VC leaders converging, there’s nary amended spot to person the hard conversations. One of the astir urgent? How artificial quality is reshaping nationalist defense, security, and captious infrastructure successful existent time.

Enter AI Defense, a can’t-miss sheet treatment taking spot connected 1 of the 2 AI Stages, wherever leaders from government, venture, and the equipped services volition research the high-stakes collision of innovation and nationalist security.

Why this speech matters now

With AI evolving astatine a blistering pace, the stakes for defence innovation person ne'er been higher. From autonomous systems and determination quality to cybersecurity and battlefield readiness, the U.S. defence and quality communities are racing to physique smarter, much adaptive technologies — without compromising ethics, oversight, oregon safety.

This panel explores the delicate equilibrium betwixt quality and control, the relation of startups successful defence innovation, and the multi-billion-dollar opportunities emerging astatine the intersection of nationalist information and AI.

If your startup touches defense, government, cybersecurity, oregon AI infrastructure, this is simply a speech you can’t spend to miss.

Where defense, intelligence, and innovation converge

Onstage, you’ll perceive from Dr. Kathleen Fisher, Director of the Information Innovation Office astatine DARPA, who is starring the complaint connected tech that gives the U.S. and its allies an borderline successful the accusation wars of the 21st century. With a vocation that spans AT&T Labs and academia astatine Tufts University, Fisher blends probe credibility with strategical vision, and she’s shaping the adjacent procreation of defense-grade AI.

Joining the sheet is Sri Chandrasekar, Managing Partner astatine Point72 Ventures, and formerly a person astatine In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s strategical concern arm. Chandrasekar knows however to spot frontier tech that moves the needle, and he’s built concern frameworks to enactment immoderate of the quality community’s toughest missions.

Rounding retired the sheet is Justin Fanelli, Chief Technology Officer for the Department of the Navy. Fanelli lives astatine the intersection of cybersecurity, innovation, and adoption, driving integer translation crossed 1 of the astir analyzable organizations successful government. From his DARPA Service Chiefs Fellowship to his nationally recognized enactment successful defence wellness and bid systems, Fanelli brings the boots-on-the-ground position to however defence is done successful the property of AI.

Catch it unrecorded astatine TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

This AI Defense sheet takes spot connected the AI Stage. Exact league clip coming soon — but don’t hold to assertion your pass.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 runs October 27–29 astatine Moscone West successful San Francisco. Join 10,000+ startup and VC leaders for 3 days of conversations and connections that specify what’s next. Grab your walk present earlier prices summation aft July.