Artificial intelligence is already reshaping the nature of warfare—and we are only at the beginning. In an increasingly conflict-prone world, no country can afford to fall behind in the race to develop military AI. If this technology is to strengthen defense more than aggression and serve as a credible deterrent to war, governments must invest rapidly while drawing on the hard-earned lessons of Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion. Europe also needs closer coordination and a shared approach to developing and managing its next generation of defense capabilities. Yet Italy continues to devote a disproportionate share of its defense budget to personnel rather than to advanced technologies and military equipment.