Poland proposes NATO AI Centre of Excellence ahead of 2026 Ankara summit

Poland is seeking to host a NATO Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence (AI COE) to fill the alliance’s existing gap – none of the 30 current NATO Centres of Excellence focus on AI. The proposal was presented by the SET Foundation and fifteen collaborating think‑tanks to the National Security Bureau, led by Minister Bartosz Grodecki, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace. The advocates argue that Poland’s strong defence budget, advanced AI research ecosystem, and strategic position on NATO’s eastern flank make it a suitable “framework nation” for the new centre.

If accepted, the AI COE would be formally proposed at the NATO summit in Ankara slated for July 2026. Existing Polish NATO COEs – the Counter‑Intelligence COE in Kraków and the Military Police COE in Bydgoszcz – would join the new institution. Dr Karolina Grenda of the SET Foundation highlighted the “structural gap” in NATO’s expertise and stressed that AI is a defining technology for modern conflict, warranting dedicated NATO research and development capabilities.