AI, Security, and the Future of Transatlantic Cooperation: Nataliia Ostrovska Participates in the Aspen Transatlantic Seminar 2026

Last month, Aspen Institute Romania hosted the Aspen Transatlantic Seminar 2026 in Brussels, organised with the support of NATO and in partnership with the European Center for Economic Security, Technology and Resilience.

This year’s seminar, “Governing the Intelligent Alliance: Realigning Power, Economy and Defence in the Age of AI,” brought together participants from across the transatlantic community for three days of discussion on the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy, security, defence, and international cooperation.

Participants included representatives of leading international organisations, government institutions, and technology companies, including Microsoft, INTERPOL, the defence sector, and NATO. Members of the Aspen network from Italy, Spain, and Ukraine also took part.

Representing Aspen Institute Kyiv was Nataliia Ostrovska, journalist, television presenter, and alumna of the Institute’s “Media and Reality – 6” seminar.

“The Aspen Transatlantic Seminar 2026 brought together representatives from organisations including Microsoft, INTERPOL, ministries of defence, and NATO in Brussels. For three days, we discussed the impact of AI on the economy, society, and the security of the transatlantic community.

As a representative of Ukraine, it was important for me to share how AI is being applied to help defend our country. This experience is invaluable for other European countries developing innovative security technologies. There is a particular interest in Ukraine because our military has demonstrated how relatively simple drones can intercept far more expensive unmanned aerial systems.

I was also deeply impressed by one of the seminar texts, written in 1996 from the perspective of ‘AI.’ Many of the ideas its author, John Perry Barlow, wrote about have become reality by 2026,” Nataliia Ostrovska shared.

The participation of Ukrainian representatives in international dialogues such as this provides an important opportunity not only to contribute to global conversations on the development and governance of artificial intelligence, but also to share Ukraine’s experience of deploying advanced technologies in the context of war and unprecedented security challenges.

We are grateful to our partners at Aspen Institute Romania for the invitation and for the opportunity to continue this important conversation about the future of technology, security, and democratic governance.