Markets

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The global market for military technologies has been rapidly advancing in recent years. In the US, Big Tech and specialized defense firms like Palantir or Anduril are securing military contracts, private investment capital, and political influence at an impressive pace; in Europe, venture capital firms continue to increase their investments in defense tech startups year after year; and in China, under the ‘military-civil fusion’ doctrine, tech markets are increasingly merging with geopolitical and military ambitions. Consequently, the specific market mechanisms, corporate business models, and aggressive product marketing are playing an ever-increasing role in shaping how military technology is developed and deployed worldwide. Our project aims to understand the political-economic dynamics behind this trend and identify continuities and unique features in today’s defense markets and private-military relations.

June 29, 2026

Reflections on the Workshop about 'AI, Militarism, and Security'

On 16 and 17 June, Marijn Hoijtink and Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud hosted a paper workshop in Antwerp to discuss drafts for the special issue on 'AI, Militarism, and Security'. Over the course of 1,5 intensive days, participants discussed 13 draft articles and numerous conceptual and empirical ideas.

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Events

Lisbon, Portugal

Sep 1, 2026

Conference Section: Digital IR at the 19th EISA-PEC

Antwerp, Belgium

Jun 16, 2026

Workshop: 'AI, Militarism and Security'

Ghent, Belgium

Jun 11, 2026

Workshop: 'Rethinking the international - Methodological and Theoretical Innovations in IPS'

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Article: Tracing Algorithmic Harm - From Innovation to Deployment and Impact on Civilians

This new article for Critical Studies on Security co-authored by PLATFORM WARS’ Marijn Hoijtink with Linde Arentze and Lauren Gould, examines how AI-enabled warfare produces civilian harm before, during, and after deployment.

Article: The Rise of the Tech Oligarchy and its Military Entanglements - a Platform Approach

In their new open-access article for a forum on the ‘Tech Oligarchy’ in the journal Science as Culture, PLATFORM WARS’ Marijn Hoijtink, Jasper van der Kist, and Laszlo Steinwärder trace the historical and contemporary ties among major tech firms, their leading figures, and the U.S. military.

Article: Three Takeaways from the US–Anthropic Dispute

In this article, Anna Nadibaidze and Robin Vanderborght examine how the dispute between the U.S. government and Anthropic highlights the growing role of private technology companies in shaping the governance and military integration of artificial intelligence.

February 17, 2026

Reflections on the ‘Tech Rivalry and the Global Power Reordering’ workshop in Amsterdam

In the last week of January, the Platform Wars project co-hosted a workshop on geopolitical tech rivalries, in collaboration with the ReGlobe project at VU Amsterdam and the CODE project at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

February 11, 2026

CfP: AI, Militarism, and Security

PLATFORM WARS’ Marijn Hoijtink will be editing a Themed Issue on AI, Militarism and Security for the ‘Cambridge Forum on AI - Culture and Society’ together with Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

December 3, 2025

PLATFORM WARS at the 18th EISA

Members of the PLATFORM WARS team took part in the 18th Pan-European Conference on International Relations (EISA) this past August in Bologna to present their work and exchange ideas with colleagues from all over the world.

Article: War as a Testing Ground for Military AI

In a recent article for Samenleving & Politiek, PLATFORM WARS’ Marijn Hoijtink, along with Linde Arentze and Lauren Gould from the Realities of Algorithmic Warfare program, explores how Ukraine and Gaza have become real-time laboratories for military AI.

December 22, 2025

PLATFORM WARS on tour

In November 2025, members of the PLATFORM WARS team presented their ongoing work at various events and international conferences.