AI is Shaping Everything - Cybersecurity to National Defense

Artificial Intelligence has been evolving for decades, from Alan Turing’s early ideas of machines that could learn to today’s applications like smart cars, speech recognition, and connected devices in our homes. In this talk, you'll hear a brief overview of AI—what it is, how it works, and where it’s headed. We’ll look at its benefits, its risks, and why government, industry, and universities are working so closely on how to manage it. We'll also touch on the role of supercomputers, energy, and hardware like GPUs, and show how AI is shaping everything from cybersecurity to national defense. Our Speaker: John D. Illgen is a leading expert in Modeling and Simulation (M&S) with over 50 years of experience across defense, commercial, and civil sectors. He served as Sector Director of M&S at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (2003–2018), advancing simulation integration and open architecture systems, including Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) environments. He founded Illgen Simulation Technologies, Inc. (ISTI) in 1988, pioneering distributed simulation technologies; the company was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2003. Illgen has led major initiatives in cyber security, ISR, command and control, and training systems, earning recognition such as the NTSA Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the National Simulation Center Hall of Fame. John Illgen has held leadership roles in NDIA and SCS, published 60+ technical papers, and contributed to key defense and FAA simulation programs.He is a long-time member of the Science and Engineering Council.