Summit Programming

2025 Programming 

As innovation and technology accelerate, modern conflict evolves at an unprecedented pace, posing challenges that demand global attention. 

The fourth annual Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats will take place on April 10–11, 2025, bringing together internationally recognized leaders and experts from the military, intelligence, and technology sectors. Together, we’ll tackle pressing issues such as cyber conflict, artificial intelligence, peer competition, and emerging threats. 

This year’s summit will examine the challenges and opportunities posed by AI and the future of national security. Topics to be explored include Biomedicine and AI, the Changing Character of Conflict, Rethinking Cybersecurity and AI, and A Vision for an AI-Driven Future. 

View the Summit speakers and panelists. 

For more information, contact modernconflict@vanderbilt.edu. 

Times and events are subject to change. Listed events are for Summit attendees only. 

Day One 

Summit Moderator: General Paul Nakasone (Ret.), Founding Director, Vanderbilt University Institute of National Security 

Opening Keynote: Sam Altman, CEO, Open AI 

Summit Panel: AI and National Security: Impacts and Opportunities  

Summit Panel: Biomedicine Unleashed: AI’s Power, Perils, and National Security Stakes 

  • Moderator: Julie Wernau, Reporter, Wall Street Journal
  • Panelist: Robert L. Grossman, Director, Center for Translational Data Science at the University of Chicago
  • Panelist: Cristina Martina, Research Associate Professor, Meiler Lab, Vanderbilt University   

Lunch Keynote Address and Fireside Chat: How AI Will Reshape Modern Conflict from James Baker, Director, Office of Net Assessment 

Summit Panel: AI and the Changing Character of Conflict 

  • Moderator: Gillian Tett, Provost, King’s College, Cambridge, 
    Columnist and Editorial Board Member, Financial Times 
  • Panelist: Joe P. Larson III, Senior Vice President, National Security Operations, Anduril Industries 
  • Panelist: Michael Brasseur, Chief Strategy Officer, Saab, Inc., General Manager, Skapa by Saab

Closing Keynote 

 

Day Two  

Summit Moderator: Erin Calipari, Director, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University  

Opening Keynote 

Summit Panel: Rethinking Cybersecurity within an Artificial Intelligence Construct 

  • Moderator: Niloofar Razi Howe, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Vanderbilt University, Senior Operating Partner, Energy Impact Partners 
  • Panelist: Thompson Paine, Head of Product & Business Operations, Anthropic PBC
  • Panelist: Frank Cilluffo, Director, McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, Auburn University 

Summit Keynote: Lakshmi Raman, Director, Office of Artificial Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency

Summit Panel: The Vanguard Forecast: National Security Predictions for 2025 

Closing Keynote