The Copenhagen Democracy Summit, organised by the Alliance of Democracies, has convened again in 2025.
This year, a strong emphasis was placed on defense – both military and intelligence-related – with the main message: #DefendDemocracy.
One of the key topics was artificial intelligence, which, while advancing rapidly, places a heavy burden on the general public’s media literacy, and the government’s lack of effective regulations and clear guardrails for AI deployment. At the same time, malicious use of AI can polarize society and threaten democratic practices and free speech, as we heard from Jacob Mchangama, Marietje Schaake (Marietje In Europa), and other strong advocates.
The struggle to take technologies under control and use them effectively as a tool for democracy was discussed broadly by Marie Bjerre, Danish Minister for European Affairs, who stressed the need for precise regulation and training in AI literacy.
On the other hand, growing digitalization has dramatically expanded opportunities, making democratic societies more inclusive and empowering local leaders and activists.
We were excited to witness the well-deserved recognition of Ukraine’s advancements in technological defense, represented by Kateryna Mykhalko from Tech Force in UA Технологічні Сили України and Ukrainian innovation projects in both offline and online security, such as OpenMinds and Dropla Tech, along with their leaders, Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi and Viacheslav Shvaydak.
The democracy we all fight for is rooted in our clear understanding of the threats to freedom, as only by addressing these challenges can we secure our values.
But it also relies on our effort toward responsible and cohesive cooperation. Autocratic regimes are successfully using technology for collaboration and spying. In response, democratic powers must unite by being proactive, becoming the real team players in our common cause.