Your Guide to Must-Attend AI and Cybersecurity Conferences in 2025-2026

As AI continues to reshape the cybersecurity landscape, staying connected with the community and learning from industry leaders has never been more important. Whether you're a security practitioner looking to understand how AI is transforming threat detection, or an AI engineer interested in the security implications of your work, these conferences offer invaluable opportunities to learn, network, and grow.

At Straiker, we believe in showing up where the conversation is happening, not just at the biggest stages, but also in the communities where innovation takes root. That's why we're active participants in both major industry conferences and local thought leader events. From sponsoring The AI Summit in New York to engaging at technical conferences like Black Hat and research-focused events like NeurIPS, we're committed to being present where AI security professionals gather. Here's our curated guide to the conferences that matter most for professionals at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity.

Major Conferences Worth Your Time

The AI Summit New York

When: December 10-11, 2025
Where: Javits Center, New York City
Who Should Attend: Enterprise leaders, CXOs, and technology strategists implementing AI at scale

The AI Summit New York is celebrating its 10th year as a trusted platform for enterprise leaders and tech innovators exploring commercial AI. With 10 content stages and over 350 speakers, this is where theory meets business outcomes.

‍Fun fact: Straiker is proud to be sponsoring this year's event, and we're excited to meet you at the Start Up area (Pod #S9).

Why Attend: This conference excels at bridging the gap between AI innovation and practical business implementation. The summit focuses on enterprise AI deployment for CIOs and architects, MLOps for scaling AI pipelines, and commercializing generative AI for product leads. For cybersecurity professionals, the sessions on AI-driven security monitoring and securing AI systems provide crucial insights.

NeurIPS (Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems)

When: December 2-7, 2025
Where: San Diego Convention Center (with satellite event in Mexico City, November 30 - December 5)
Who Should Attend: AI researchers, machine learning engineers, and practitioners interested in cutting-edge developments

NeurIPS brings together researchers, practitioners, and industry professionals to discuss advancements in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computational neuroscience. This is where the most significant breakthroughs in AI are often first presented.

Why Attend: For those working at the intersection of AI and security, NeurIPS offers unparalleled access to the latest research in adversarial machine learning, model security, and AI robustness. The conference features invited talks, oral and poster presentations of peer-reviewed papers, tutorials, workshops, and an industry expo. The workshops often include dedicated sessions on AI safety and security. While highly technical, the insights gained here can inform your security strategy for the next 12-18 months.

RSA Conference

When: March 23-26, 2026
Where: Moscone Center, San Francisco
Who Should Attend: CISOs, security executives, practitioners, and vendors across all cybersecurity domains

RSA Conference is the industry's convening authority, drawing nearly 44,000 attendees, 730+ speakers, and 650+ exhibitors. This is the world's largest and most influential cybersecurity conference, featuring keynotes, track sessions, tutorials, and the famous Innovation Sandbox competition.

Why Attend: RSA Conference has become ground zero for discussing AI's impact on cybersecurity. In 2025, agentic AI, identity security, and the intersection of AI and security dominated discussions. For security professionals interested in AI, RSA offers unmatched breadth, from technical deep-dives on AI-powered threats to executive-level discussions on AI governance. The Innovation Sandbox showcases the most promising security startups, many of which are leveraging AI in novel ways. The scale of RSA means you can connect with virtually anyone in the security industry, from vendors to practitioners to researchers.

Black Hat USA & DEF CON (Security Summer Camp)

When: Early August (Training August 2-5, Summit Day August 5, Briefings August 6-7, DEF CON typically follows August 8-10, 2026)
Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Center (Black Hat) & Las Vegas Convention Center (DEF CON), Las Vegas
Who Should Attend: Security researchers, penetration testers, hackers, federal agents, and technical practitioners across the security spectrum

The first week of August is affectionately known as "Security Summer Camp" in the industry, as the cybersecurity community descends upon Las Vegas for back-to-back events. Black Hat USA (20,000+ attendees) is the more enterprise-focused, technical conference featuring four days of hands-on training, Summit Day with specialized tracks including the AI Summit, and two days of research briefings. DEF CON (30,000+ attendees) follows immediately after, offering a more community-driven experience organized around topic-specific "villages" with capture-the-flag competitions, hands-on activities, and the famous hacker ethos.

Why Attend: Together, these events provide the most comprehensive view of the security landscape in a single week. Black Hat delivers cutting-edge research on LLM vulnerabilities, agentic AI exploits, and adversarial machine learning, with the AI Summit bringing together technical experts to discuss AI as both defensive tool and offensive weapon. DEF CON's village structure allows deep-dives into specialized topics, including an AI Village exploring security implications of AI and machine learning. Recent DEF CONs have featured DARPA-sponsored AI cyber reasoning competitions exploring autonomous vulnerability detection and patching. The technical depth at Black Hat combined with the community innovation at DEF CON creates an unmatched learning experience. Many attendees block out the entire week to experience both.

Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo

When: October 19-22, 2026 (Orlando, FL), November 2026 (Barcelona, Spain)
Where: Multiple global locations - Orlando, Barcelona, and other major cities
Who Should Attend: CIOs, IT executives, and technology leaders driving digital transformation and AI strategy

Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo is Gartner's flagship conference where the analyst firm unveils its top strategic technology trends for the coming year. With thousands of CIOs and IT executives in attendance, this is where Gartner sets the agenda for enterprise technology strategy, covering AI, cybersecurity, cloud, and emerging technologies.

Why Attend: This is where you get the strategic, vendor-neutral view on how AI and cybersecurity intersect at the enterprise level. Gartner announces critical technology trends like agentic AI, AI security platforms, and preemptive cybersecurity at this event. The conference goes beyond tactical implementation to help leaders understand how to build AI strategies, navigate governance and risk, and transform their organizations. The CIO Circle Program offers exclusive executive experiences, and the combination of Gartner analyst insights, peer networking, and solution provider assessment is unmatched. For leaders responsible for both AI initiatives and security posture, this conference provides the strategic framework to balance innovation with risk management.

Ai4

When: August 4-6, 2026
Where: The Venetian, Las Vegas
Who Should Attend: Business leaders, technical practitioners, and anyone looking to understand AI's real-world applications across industries

Ai4 connects senior professionals focused on leveraging AI technologies across various industries, highlighting real-world applications and innovation within enterprise AI. With 8,000+ attendees, 200+ AI exhibitors, and 350+ speakers, including AI pioneers like Geoffrey Hinton, this is North America's largest AI industry event.

Why Attend: The breadth of this conference is remarkable. From beginners to advanced practitioners, there's something for everyone. For cybersecurity professionals, the dedicated tracks on AI security and governance are essential. The AI Policy Summit addresses regulatory frameworks, legislative imperatives, and governance structures, which is critical for security leaders navigating compliance. The startup and investor village also offers unique opportunities to discover emerging security technologies before they hit the mainstream.

CAMLIS (Conference on Applied Machine Learning in Information Security)

When: Typically late October (2026 dates have not been announced at the time of this publication)
Where: Arlington, Virginia
Who Should Attend: Security researchers, data scientists, and practitioners applying ML to cybersecurity challenges

CAMLIS brings together researchers and practitioners focused on applied machine learning in information security. What sets CAMLIS apart is its emphasis on real-world applications rather than purely theoretical research. The conference includes both full-length papers and extended abstracts, with all presentations being 20 minutes followed by discussion.

Why Attend: If you're working on ML-powered security tools or researching adversarial AI, CAMLIS offers a unique blend of academic rigor and practical implementation insights. The intimate setting creates excellent networking opportunities with peers tackling similar challenges. CAMLIS Red runs as a one-day workshop focused on real-world applications of AI in security, making it especially valuable for practitioners who want hands-on experience.

International Perspectives

The AI Summit London

When: June 10-11, 2026
Where: Tobacco Dock, London
Who Should Attend: European AI leaders, enterprise strategists, and anyone interested in AI's commercial applications in the EMEA region

The AI Summit London is heading into its 10th year as the headline AI event of London Tech Week, bringing together enterprise leaders, tech innovators, and solution providers. With 300+ speakers and 4,500+ attendees, this is Europe's premier commercial AI conference.

Why Attend: The European perspective on AI governance and ethics differs meaningfully from other regions, making this essential for global organizations. The summit features eight stages of content, the Start-up & Investor Village, and the VisionAIres VIP Programme. For cybersecurity professionals, the European focus on data privacy, GDPR compliance, and responsible AI provides crucial frameworks for building secure AI systems. The ambassador chapter includes leaders from Mastercard, BP, Unilever, and Google DeepMind, offering networking with decision-makers shaping AI policy in Europe.

AIMX Singapore

When: November 26-28, 2025
Where: Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore
Who Should Attend: AI innovators, deep-tech investors, and professionals interested in Asia-Pacific AI developments

AIMX Singapore serves as a global stage for showcasing groundbreaking AI advancements, uniting the deep-tech ecosystem to explore emerging industry applications and technological collaborations. The conference specifically highlights AI-driven threat detection, autonomous defense systems, and next-gen cyber resilience solutions.

Why Attend: Singapore is emerging as a major AI hub in Asia, and this conference offers unique insights into how the region is approaching AI security challenges. The focus on cybersecurity applications is particularly strong, with dedicated tracks on AI-driven threat detection and autonomous defense systems. The three-day format allows for deeper engagement with speakers and exhibitors. For companies looking to expand in APAC, this conference provides essential market intelligence and partnership opportunities.

Don't Forget Local Events

While major conferences offer incredible value, some of the most innovative thinking happens in smaller, more intimate settings. Platforms like Luma have democratized event organization, enabling local thought leaders to convene focused discussions on emerging topics.

These local meetups and workshops offer distinct advantages: more accessible pricing (sometimes free!), opportunities for hands-on collaboration, and the chance to build deeper relationships within your local AI and security communities. Many of these events feature practitioners who are actively building and deploying AI security solutions, offering insights you won't find in polished conference presentations.

At Straiker, we actively participate in these grassroots events because we believe that's where the real innovation happens. From AI security happy hours to technical deep-dives on adversarial ML, these gatherings often preview trends that will dominate the major conferences six months later.

Planning Your Conference Year

With so many excellent options, how do you choose? Here's our advice:

Start with one conference that aligns with your role... but then add one that doesn't. Security practitioners might attend RSA Conference or Security Summer Camp for depth, but consider NeurIPS or Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo to understand how researchers and business leaders are thinking about AI differently. If you're a technical AI researcher attending NeurIPS, Security Summer Camp will expose you to how practitioners are actually exploiting and defending systems in the wild. Business leaders at The AI Summit or Ai4 should consider CAMLIS to see what's coming from the research community before it hits the enterprise. The most valuable insights often come from adjacent fields like the security engineer who understands AI research, the AI researcher who grasps security realities, the business leader who knows both.

If you can, add one international event if your organization operates globally. The perspectives from London and Singapore are different enough from US-centric conferences to justify the investment, particularly around AI governance and regional regulatory approaches.

Supplement with local events throughout the year. These maintain momentum between major conferences and often provide more actionable insights. The local meetup scene is where emerging trends often surface first.

Don't just attend—participate. Submit to speak, volunteer, or organize a side event. The real value of conferences comes from active engagement, not passive attendance.

Final Thoughts

The intersection of AI and cybersecurity is evolving rapidly, and conferences remain one of the best ways to stay current. But more importantly, they're where relationships are built, ideas are tested, and communities are strengthened.

At Straiker, we're committed to being active participants in this ecosystem. We show up at major conferences like The AI Summit in New York (which we're proud to sponsor), and we also engage with local community events where builders are creating the next generation of AI security solutions. We believe that by showing up consistently, contributing genuinely, and connecting authentically, we all help build a stronger, more informed AI security community.

We hope to see you at these events. Whether it's a formal meeting at one of the major conferences or a casual conversation at a local meetup, we're always eager to connect with others who are passionate about the future of AI and security.