Regional security, AI governance take centre stage at 10th Synergia Conclave

New Delhi: The 10th Synergia Conclave opened its doors in the heart of the capital on Wednesday, attracting more than 200 high-ranking decision-makers from the fields of government, defence, diplomacy, intelligence, and technology. The meeting is aimed at discussing critical regional security challenges and the trust deficit in intelligent systems.

Under the respected umbrella of the Synergia Foundation, the three-day meeting has established itself as a significant platform for strategic dialogue in Asia, emphasising the convergence of geopolitics, security, and cutting-edge technology. In these uncertain times, with global tensions running high and technology rivalries reaching unprecedented levels, the dialogue is more relevant than ever.

In the inaugural session, titled The Indo-Regional Spheres, there was a focus on India’s partnerships with its South and Southeast Asian neighbours, emphasising the importance of economic cooperation, shared values, and regional security. The session was led by Lt Gen G A V Reddy, CSO at Synergia. Some prominent speakers included Alok Joshi, Chairman of India’s National Security Advisory Board, and distinguished guests such as M. Nagaraju from the Financial Services Department, Mariya Didi, former Defence Minister of the Maldives, and former Defence Chief of Sri Lanka, General Shavendra Silva.

The viewpoints of the delegates from India, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the Maldives were discussed. The former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, highlighted the need for economic resilience in the context of small island countries, emphasising the need for financial stability and lower levels of external vulnerabilities in the context of regional sustainability.

The second session of the day focused on the governance issues being created by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in the context of defence, governance, and critical infrastructure. The experts highlighted the growing gap between technological advancements and the institutional capabilities to manage them. The Futurecraft Forum, which concluded the day’s session, saw an engaging discussion between M K Narayanan, the former National Security Adviser of India, and the former Foreign Minister of Singapore, George Yeo. The conclave will resume on Thursday with more engaging sessions lined up.