TechCrunch Destruction 2025 is where groundbreaking ideas meet the real world challenges that define the future, and with over 10,000 startups and VC leaders converging, there is no place to have a tough conversation. One of the most urgent? How artificial intelligence is rebuilding national defense, security, and critical infrastructure in real time.
Join AI defense. In a miss-panel discussion that is not taking place in one of the two stages of AI, government, venture and armed services leaders explore high-stakes conflicts of innovation and national security.
Why this conversation is important now
As AI evolves at a fierce pace, the interests of defence innovation are higher than ever before. From autonomous systems and decision intelligence to cybersecurity and battlefield preparation, the US defense and intelligence community is competing to build smarter, more adaptive technologies without compromising ethics, surveillance, or safety.
This panel explores the delicate balance of intelligence and control, the role of startups in defense innovation, and the multi-billion dollar opportunities that will emerge at the intersection of national security and AI.
If your startup is exposed to defense, government, cybersecurity, or AI infrastructure, this is a conversation you can't miss.
Where defense, intelligence and innovation converge
On stage, he is led by Dr. Kathleen Fisher, director of DARPA's Office of Information Innovation, to instigate Tech that gives the US and its allies the edge in the information war of the 21st century. With his career spanning AT&T Labs and academia at Tufts University, Fisher blends research credibility with his strategic vision, shaping the next generation of defense-grade AI.
Participating in the panel is Sri Chandrasekar, managing partner at Point72 Ventures and formerly leader of In-Q-Tel, the CIA's strategic investment arm. Chandrasekar knows how to find frontier techniques to move needles, and he has built an investment framework to support some of the intelligence community's toughest missions.
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Finishing the panel is Justin Fanelli, Chief Technology Officer of the Navy. Fanelli lives at the intersection of cybersecurity, innovation and recruitment, driving digital transformation in one of the government's most complex organizations. From his DARPA Service Chief Fellowship to his nationally recognized work in the health and command system of national defense, Fanelli brings a ground perspective on how defense is done in the age of AI.
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This AI defense panel takes place in the AI stage. The exact session time comes quickly – but don't wait to insist your pass.
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