Bled Strategic Forum Panel discussion
Seven perspectives meet on one stage: AI as a weapon, a mirror, a source of productivity, and a force that democratic institutions must learn to contain without pretending it can be stopped.
The panel ranges from Holocaust disinformation and cognitive warfare to education, automation bias, military systems, and the widening gap between the speed of AI and the pace of democratic government.
“AI is like fire. You don’t slow it down. You need to master it, control it, and contain the space where it operates.”
Aleks Jakulin argues that regulation should focus less on policing a technology’s internal process and more on the environments, institutions, and consequences around its use.
Context
Launched in 2006, the Bled Strategic Forum is the Government of Slovenia’s international platform for debate on political, security, strategic, and development challenges. It is organised by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Centre for European Perspective, bringing together leaders from government, business, academia, international organisations, and civil society.
Moderator · Journalism and leadership
Founder and director of Thinking the Unthinkable and a RUSI Distinguished Fellow. He was a main presenter at BBC World News from 1996 to 2014 after senior reporting and diplomatic-editor roles at ITN and Channel 4 News.
RUSI profile ↗Holocaust remembrance
Secretary General of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance since 2025. A career German diplomat, she previously served as Germany’s Ambassador for Holocaust Remembrance and the Fight against Antisemitism.
IHRA profile ↗Military science and hybrid threats
RUSI Associate Fellow specialising in Russian multidimensional warfare, active measures, and hybrid threats. His previous roles include advising Ukraine’s defence, intelligence, and armed-forces leadership.
RUSI profile ↗Applied and responsible AI
Director of AI Innovations at Lockheed Martin’s AI Center, where he leads rapid prototyping and work on ethical AI use. He previously led data and AI work at JPMorgan Chase and served for 25 years in the US Air Force.
Professional biography ↗Digital diplomacy
Senior Advisor at the Centre for European Perspective and an organiser of the European Digital Diplomacy Exchange. His work focuses on government communication, disinformation, citizen engagement, and digital resilience, following service as a digital coordinator at the US Department of State.
CEP background ↗Diplomacy and international affairs
Undersecretary for Relations with States and International Organisations in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State. The Romanian priest and diplomat entered the Holy See’s diplomatic service in 2012, with postings in Ecuador, Georgia, and Chad.
Vatican News profile ↗Philosophy, law, and society
Philosopher, sociologist, and legal theorist; senior researcher at the Institute of Criminology at the University of Ljubljana and professor at Birkbeck College. Her interdisciplinary work connects law, political ideology, criminology, and psychoanalysis.
Institute profile ↗AI, data, and technology systems
Founder of data.Flowers and a former Columbia University professor and researcher in data science and Bayesian statistics. His work spans machine learning, internet standards, data publishing, and technology entrepreneurship.
Profile on Jakul.in →Watch
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Speaker attribution has been reconstructed where source labels drifted. Aleks Jakulin’s remarks are edited for clarity and concision while preserving their meaning.
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