ITAPA Spring 2026: From Autonomous Artificial Intelligence to National Cybersecurity
On June 17-18, 2026, Bratislava will host unique strategic debates that will shape the nation's digital future. This event stands out for convening thought leaders to focus on agentic AI, digital sovereignty in Europe and Slovakia, the rise of social engineering, and cybersecurity.
The upcoming Spring ITAPA 2026 conference will focus on topics that define the stability and competitiveness of a modern state in the era of autonomous technologies.
Sovereign AI as a New Pillar of Security
Sovereign AI as a New Pillar of Security
To open the event, a discussion will explore the concept of sovereign artificial intelligence, with Poland’s approach serving as inspiration for Slovakia. Poland has developed its own national language model, PLLuM, for public services. Building on this example, the discussion should focus on foreign inspiration and emphasize the essential message that Europe must build its own AI infrastructure and data, rather than passively importing technologies from third countries. The Slovak perspective on this topic will be complemented by representatives of the Slovak government’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force, who will outline Slovakia’s plans regarding AI sovereignty.
Cyber Threats and the New Reality of Industry
Transitioning from sovereignty to security, the program for the first day, CYBERSEC DAY, reflects the dynamic evolution of threats in 2026:
- Agent-Based AI: Exposing the severe risks as autonomous agents emerge as a critical new attack vector.
- Manufacturing Security: Defend production lines against aggressive IT and OT integration attacks.
- Post-quantum cryptography: The shift from theory to rapid, widespread deployment is non-negotiable.
- Legislative regulation: Dissect the intensifying "regulatory storm" of the NIS2 Directive, the AI Act, and the imminent Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).
- Sovereign Artificial Intelligence for the State
- How Europe Builds Sovereign AI: From National Ambition to Real Capacity
- Slovakia’s Response: What Will We Do About AI Sovereignty at Home?
- Agent-Based AI as a New Attack Vector
- Cloud for the State: Greater Security or New Dependency?
- When the Line Stops: The New Security Reality for Manufacturing Companies
- Cybersecurity Technologies / Zero Trust Architecture 2.0
- Social Engineering in the AI Era
- Where Is the Cybersecurity Industry Headed?
- Keeping Government Online Under Attack
- Post-Quantum Security/Cryptography: How Cryptoagility Is Becoming a New Competitive Advantage
- The Regulatory Storm in Cybersecurity
- How to Ensure Adequate Cybersecurity Requirements on a Low Budget?
- Who Are the Victims of Cyberattacks?
- ITAPA Cybersec Round Table
- ITAPA OPEN TALK: Hybrid Warfare and Europe’s Stability
The second day’s program will focus on digitization. DIGI DAY will showcase successful projects in Slovakia and international implementations of eGovernment services.
We seek inspiration for digital innovations primarily from digital leaders - Estonia and Poland. We find a potentially missing drive in the Czech Republic, which is successfully implementing artificial intelligence into public services, and in Hungary, which leads the V4 in the adoption of AI.
The main theme will be the transition from e-Government to “Personal Government,” in which the state operates invisibly and proactively through artificial intelligence.
The second day will feature the following panels and presentations:
- From e-Government to Personal Government
- Mobile Government in Action: What Works, What Has Failed, and What Slovakia Should Learn.
- Agentic AI – What Will It Bring to Public Administration?
- AI for Slovakia
- eSolutions and Life Situations
- Mobility / Smart Cities
- Recovery Plan: Success or Failure?
Throughout both days, the ITAPA EXPO ZONE will feature interactive demonstrations of the latest innovations and MASTERCLASSES focused on practical skill-building in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
Event details:
Date: June 17–18, 2026
Location: Bratislava, Crowne Plaza Hotel (Networking zone open all day)
Topics: Cybersecurity, Agentic AI, Sovereign AI, Digital State, Post-quantum security
REGISTRATION
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