International Workshop on AI and the Future of Crisis and Conflict in a Fragmented World

The nature of crisis and conflict and the ways in which they are analysed, interpreted and managed, are increasingly influenced by algorithmic and AI-assisted systems. In an environment of geopolitical fragmentation and rapid technological change, policymakers, diplomats, and peace and conflict researchers face new challenges in understanding escalation dynamics and governing emerging technologies responsibly.

The Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), Fraunhofer Singapore and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) are convening a international workshop that will bring together policymakers, technologists, and researchers from Germany, Singapore and the wider international community to discuss the implications of AI-based systems for crisis management, diplomacy and international security.

Day 1 features a public programme with keynote addresses, expert panels and research talks on AI in conflict dynamics, diplomatic decision-making, foresight and regulation. Day 2 consists of a smaller invitation-only strategy roundtable to identify research gaps, collaboration opportunities and potential joint initiatives between German and Singaporean partners.

The nature of conflict and crisis is undergoing structural transformation: Escalation dynamics today are increasingly shaped by algorithmic systems, AI-assisted large-scale data analysis, economic interdependence, and information operations. At the same time, diplomats, mediators, and security institutions operate under unprecedented strain: information saturation, compressed decision timelines, fragmented data landscapes, and declining trust across geopolitical fault lines. Against this backdrop, the role of AI and emerging technologies - and their impact, positive and negative alike - on escalation pathways, crisis management and international stability becomes a central question for both policymakers and peace and conflict researchers.

This international workshop brings together policy leaders, technologists, peace and conflict researchers, and practitioners from Germany, Singapore, and the broader international community to examine how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping conflict dynamics, crisis governance, and modern diplomacy and how these tools can be governed, evaluated, and embedded responsibly within institutional decision-making processes.

Positioned at the intersection of peace research, international relations, and applied artificial intelligence research, the workshop aims to move beyond abstract debates toward operationally relevant and technically informed insights, concrete use cases, and strengthen international collaboration and joint activities between Europe and South-East Asia, particularly Germany and Singapore and associated [TBC] institutions.

The workshop aims to:

• Identify where and how AI tools function as a factor in modern conflicts, crisis management, and diplomacy
• Assess AI tools and current technological developments for early conflict detection, foresight, modelling, and mediation support
• Explore ongoing developments in AI research to better understand the capabilities and limitations of AI systems in the context of international conflicts and security
• Bridge political, technical, and academic perspectives on AI in security and diplomatic environments
• Advance trust, evaluation, and governance frameworks for AI use in sensitive national and international contexts
• Lay the groundwork for follow-on joint initiatives, research agendas, and policy engagement

This workshop highlights the German–Singapore partnership as a trusted platform that connects European peace research excellence with Asia-Pacific policy, security, and technology ecosystems.

It aims to strengthen collaboration between stakeholders from IHLs, research institutions, and think tanks to anchor a longer-term agenda at the intersection of AI, emerging technologies, security, diplomacy, and peacebuilding between the two ecosystems.

The programme is structured around four main pillars:

AI, Security, Conflicts, and Strategy:
Examining the impact of AI systems on escalation dynamics, strategic stability, and decision-making across political, economic, informational, cyber, and military domains. Attention will be paid to comparing AI-driven approaches with existing theories of conflict.

AI-augmented Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution:
Exploring AI-enabled tools for strengthening diplomatic analysis, early warning, scenario and crisis modelling and mediation support. The focus lies on how these systems shape planning, trend analysis and policy recommendations in conflict and crisis settings and how human judgment and accountability can be preserved.

AI Regulation and Arms Control:
Assessing the requirements for and implications of deploying AI tools in the context of national and international security, especially regarding model explainability, institutional control, and supply chain risks. The parallels - and implications for - with existing and future arms control regimes and verification will be explored.

Emerging Disruptive Technologies:
Analyzing the interactions of AI developments with cyber capabilities, information operations, autonomous systems, and dual-use research in crisis environments.