The TechSense Summit held on Thursday, March 21st, 2024, at DSquare – Deloitte Luxembourg, brought together 300 CIOs and tech decision-makers to focus on the impact of AI on cybersecurity. Influential figures from Luxembourg's ecosystem addressed the challenges, innovations, and future strategies in this critical domain through insightful discussions, workshops, and keynote presentations.

Cybersecurity stands at the forefront of technological challenges. The summit aimed to dissect the complexities of cybersecurity, inviting leaders across multiple fields to engage in meaningful exchanges and explore strategies to navigate this evolving landscape.

Empowering cybersecurity excellence: VIP workshops unveil cutting-edge practices

The summit started with an exclusive VIP session featuring workshops aimed at implementing zero-trust architectures, connecting AI to physical systems, and exploring the potential of AI in various applications. These sessions provided attendees with valuable insights into cutting-edge cybersecurity practices and were led by industry experts:

- Patrice Chéret, Vice President GTM, Anuj Vala, Connectivity Solution Specialist, and Chadi Samili, Technology & Architecture Consultant – NTT DATA

- Maurice Schubert, Partner, Digital Risk & Resilience, and Yasser Aboukir, Director - Cyber Risk – Deloitte Luxembourg

- Yannis Nakos, Business Automation & Digital Labor EMEA Lead – IBM

Plenary Conference

Unveiling the future: Engaging keynotes illuminate AI and cybersecurity 

The plenary conference began with a warm welcome by Master of Ceremony Anusha Moonshiram, Vice-President of Women Cyber Force, setting the stage for insightful discussions to follow. Attendees were greeted with a series of thought-provoking keynotes and engaging roundtable discussions, each shedding light on different aspects of AI and cybersecurity.

Ronan Vander Elst, Partner, Consulting - Digital & Technology Leader, took the stage to deliver a keynote entitled "AI and Cyber, what does the future hold?" alongside Maurice Schubert. “Security is essentially one of the greatest challenges of our time”, remarked Maurice Schubert, summarizing the gravity of the subject matter. The experts' discourse explored the pervasive influence of AI in daily life and its specific impacts on cybersecurity strategies, urging proactive measures in the face of escalating cyber threats. Compelling use cases underscored the urgency for robust defenses, while showcasing innovative AI-driven solutions aimed at bolstering cyber resilience.

Misch Strotz, Co-Founder & CEO of neon internet, then captivated the audience with a presentation of LetzAI, a Luxembourgish AI-powered image generator. This innovative approach to AI is a creative and unique system able to turn human visions into visuals.

Navigating AI challenges and strategies for responsible implementation: first round table

The conference further delved into the first "AI in the Trenches: CISOs on the Frontline of Cyber Defense" round table featuring esteemed industry leaders, including Krystina Gray, Founding Member, Women Cyber Force, Krassi Bogdanova, Head of Unit “Cyber Security Policies & Risk”, European Parliament, Nataliia Iskra, Director, Head of Security IT, Clearstream DBAG, and Atefeh Maleki, Information Security Manager, Nomura, moderated by Arnaud Clément, Member – Mentor, Women Cyber Force.

Discussions centered on continuous learning and threat identification, benefits such as automatic responses in finance, challenges posed by attackers, security reinforcement, collaboration, and AI in automation. The panelists emphasized responsible AI usage and adaptation without fear: “Embrace AI's benefits responsibly; we're still at the journey outset, with much to explore–hesitation will only keep us stagnant”, as Atefeh Maleki encapsulated the session's essence.

Another highlight of the conference was the keynote delivered by Yannis Nakos, Business Automation & Digital Labor EMEA Lead at IBM, entitled "Govern your AI or be governed by it". He stressed responsible AI implementation in cybersecurity, urging attendees to understand AI's purposes and associated risks, and offered strategies to mitigate risks, focusing on the importance of data governance.

Final Roundtable: Debating the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of AI in cybersecurity

The summit concluded with a roundtable discussion titled "AI in Cybersecurity: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly", moderated by Kaisu Christie, Group Chief Digital Officer at EIB. The session featured industry experts Laurent Pulinckx, CIO, Luxembourg Stock Exchange, Laurent Couturier, CIO, Armacell, and THECIO24, Maxime Dehaut, Head of IT Architecture, CFL. They provided valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in cybersecurity.

The discussion explored the continuous implementation of AI in cybersecurity, its vulnerabilities, and complexities. Key topics included preventing hacker attacks, ensuring AI decision explainability, and the vital human role in verifying AI outputs.

“Rushing into AI is like a race, but we must prioritize enhancing capabilities for protection, over business application. The ‘bad guys’ are already ahead; we need to move forward strategically”, concluded Laurent Pulinckx.

Overall, the fourth edition of TechSense Summit provided a platform for industry leaders to come together, share insights, and chart the course for the future of cybersecurity with AI. With thought-provoking discussions and innovative ideas, the summit left attendees ready to address the ever-evolving challenges of cybersecurity in an AI-driven world.