Foreign Policy for America 2026 Leadership Summit

Featuring remarks from Rep. Pat Ryan, Amb. Nina Hachigian, and Amb. Julissa Reynoso

The development and application of artificial intelligence tools have become central priorities for U.S. national security officials, as well as policymakers in other countries. AI debates have surfaced multiple, at times competing priorities: speed of development and adoption, safety concerns in context of defense and intelligence applications, and the need for concerted international action to reduce risks for humans in a world of proliferating, increasingly intelligent AI agents.


This session will explore considerations for American deployment of AI tools, how other countries are deploying AI in their own national security strategies, and implications for U.S. policy including with regard to the sale of frontier chips and other technologies.


Speakers:

1. Saif Khan, Distinguished Fellow, Institute for Progress
2. Maher Bitar, Executive Director, National Security Action
3. Christopher Fonzone, Adjunct Professor and Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Reiss Center on Law and Security at NYU School of Law
4. Helen Toner, Interim Executive Director, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Georgetown University

Moderator:
Daniella Cheslow, National Security Reporter, POLITICO

The Trump administration's haphazard tariffs and wars of choice have driven up costs for American families while isolating the United States on the international stage. But reverting to the status quo fails to address the needs of average Americans who have grown frustrated by foreign policy decisions that for decades have failed to deliver for them. This session will explore these concepts and develop a new vision for how we can build a foreign policy that delivers for the working class.

Speakers:

1. Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06)
2. Cathy Feingold, Director of the AFL-CIO International Department
3. Thea Lee, Distinguished Visiting Practitioner, American University School of International Service

Moderator:
Rachel Oswald, Staff Writer, Foreign Policy