Investigating Technology and AI in Conflict
September 29, 2026

Reporting on modern warfare no longer relies solely on focusing on what is happening on the front line. Journalists must also show how the technologies and AI systems increasingly shaping conflict are conceived, financed and coded in conference rooms, data centres and technology offices far from the battlefield.

In this emerging military-technological complex, a new phase of the military-industrial complex, cloud platforms, AI models, and commercial infrastructure have become integral to the conduct of war. Yet this weaponization of technology makes accountability harder to trace than ever.

War reporters need more than flak jackets and nerves of steel. They must also dig into procurement records, trade databases, export licenses, corporate filings, and the digital breadcrumbs left behind by the military-tech ecosystem to understand complicity and responsibility in conflict.

In this workshop, based on an upcoming GIJN reporting guide, Dr. Iain Overton will introduce a practical framework for investigating the technological systems behind modern warfare, from surveillance infrastructure and automated decision-making to the financial flows that make them possible.

Participants will leave with practical methods, source suggestions and real-world examples they can use to pursue accountability reporting on technology and war.

Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Time: 9:30 am EDT / 3:30 pm CET (What time is it in my city?)

Register for the training here.

Speaker’s bio: Iain Overton is a British investigative journalist, author, and human rights activist. He is the executive director of Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) and an Associate Professor at SOAS University of London, where he leads the MA Investigative and Human Rights Journalism pathway. A Peabody Award winner and former managing editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, he is the author of “Gun Baby Gun,” an exploration of global gun culture, and “The Price of Paradise,” a history of suicide bombing and its impact on contemporary conflict. He holds a PhD from the University of Portsmouth based on his conflict reporting.

GIJN Academy provides free trainings, webinars, and workshops to investigative journalists around the world with special attention to those from repressive regimes and marginalized communities. Your support helps us keep training opportunities like this one free and accessible to everyone.