One of the most substantial discussions at the defence conference EstMil.tech, co-organised by Tallinn University of Technology, was a panel in which defence experts from different countries and backgrounds examined the military role and potential of artificial intelligence. The question was simple yet sharp: whether – and to what extent – does AI change decision-making on the battlefield?
Estonia stands at a turning point where good ideas and a strong digital reputation are no longer enough. A shifting economy, geopolitical tensions, and the age of artificial intelligence force us to ask: are we a country that makes decisions, or one that is decided for? According to Ants Vill, member of the TalTech Council and CEO of Bisly, Estonia’s greatest challenge is not a lack of innovation but a lack of decisiveness – and inevitability is not born of consensus, but of deliberate choices.
When Anna Dementjeva looks back on her childhood, she doesn’t remember a single moment that pushed her toward engineering – she remembers many. She was the child who constantly asked why, who found comfort in logic, and who treated geometry problems as small creative puzzles waiting to be solved.
The European Commission’s Digital Omnibus promises simplification, but arrives at a moment when Europe’s digital rules are under external attack – raising the uncomfortable question of whether easing regulation is becoming a substitute for defending it.
Artificial intelligence is transforming how IT work is done, but according to Slavko Rakić, Research Professor at TalTech IT College, the most difficult challenges companies face today are often not technical at all. While universities focus heavily on tools and technologies, everyday work increasingly depends on communication, responsibility and ethical judgement.
Microplastics are among the most insidious pollutants in the world’s seas, travelling invisibly across ecosystems and leaving long-lasting impacts. In his doctoral thesis defended at TalTech, researcher Arun Mishra has drawn a detailed map of how these particles move, concentrate, and persist in the eastern Baltic Sea.
TalTech’s direct current innovation workshop brought together the public sector, researchers, and entrepreneurs, all emphasizing one key point: the development of direct current (DC) is no longer confined to drawings and models, but is rapidly making its way into real buildings, streets, chargers, and data centres. The technology is already there – what is needed now is decisiveness.
At TalTech’s School of Science conference, early stage researcher Kärol Soodla from the Department of Cybernetics explained something most of us never think about: why some muscles get tired quickly, while others can hold us upright all day long.
Synthesising the complex sugars found in human breast milk is not just a chemical challenge – it is a key to a healthier future for infants.
At TalTech’s School of Science conference, postdoctoral researcher Bruno Grafe showed how real-time monitoring can help prevent environmental accidents and make mining cleaner and smarter.