Ladies and gentlemen,

Distinguished guests and esteemed colleagues from Romania and around the world,

It is a profound honor to address you on the occasion of the 19th edition of the Private Investigators International Summer School, an event that has become a symbol of excellence and international unity within the field of private investigations.

We gather here today through the extraordinary energy, vision, and initiative of President MARIA BUMBARU, founder and President of the National Association of Detectives in Romania.

Under her leadership, the National Association of Detectives from Romania—under de umbrella of I.K.D., dand Romanian partners: ACUM Foundation, Ecological Initiative and Sustainable Development Group Foundation, detectives and cybersecurity companies, lawyers, experts, students—has forged, edition after edition, a forum of professional excellence.

From its origins as a Romanian initiative, the P.I. International Summer School has evolved, under the auspices of the I.K.D., into a prestigious international platform, bringing together distinguished specialists from Israel, Spain, Slovenia, France, Germany .

And now:

The Fundamental and Defining Themes of the Private Investigators International Summer School

(19th Edition, October 14–18, 2026)

Ladies and gentlemen,

We stand at a precise historical juncture: October 2026.

This is a moment in which artificial intelligence has ceased to be a mere promise, emerging instead as a force that actively redefines reality.

Simultaneously, geopolitical pressures, the erosion of trust, and the proliferation of hybrid threats are propelling society toward an abyss that is as difficult to decipher as it is to manage.

Against this backdrop, the Private Investigators International Summer School is far more than a conventional conference. It serves as an intellectual, ethical, and inspirational nexus — a space wherein international private investigation professionals do not merely analyze the present, but actively formulate responses and forecasts for the world of tomorrow.

1. The Core Themes Defining This Edition

The program for this 19th edition is articulated around three essential axes:

1. Artificial Intelligence: Between Empowerment and Peril

Ariella Kraft (Israel) – Honorary Dean 2026,  asserts unequivocally:

“Anyone can be a private investigator in the technological era of AI—the future of private investigation begins today.”

Antonio Labrador Barquilla (Spain, president APDPE )  poses the pivotal question:

”Where do the benefits lie, and where does abuse begin? What is the true cost of an absence of ethical standards?”

Zvonimir Cvetko Damnjanović (Serbia) demonstrates how AI-driven Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is fundamentally transforming information gathering.

Lev Topor (Israel) , Alina Anton (Romania) and Andra Chiorcea (Romania)  bring cybersecurity, regulatory frameworks, and their impact on trust and decision-making processes into focus.

Daniela Zaharia (Romania)  articulates the existential conflict of our era: “AI” versus “I” (the self).

1. Field Reality: Concrete Threats and Immediate Responses.

Fraud in international freight transport (Matthias Willenbrink (Germany), the counterfeiting of tobacco products (Arie Yehuda Sluijzer – France), and a practitioner’s survival guide to surveillance (Sam Zonensein- Israel)—all illustrate that technology does not eliminate classic operational risks, but rather amplifies them.

1. The Human Dimension: The Final Frontier.

Esther Gomez (Spain) examines faceless deception and nonverbal behavior.

Phd. Tudorel Butoi (Romania) and psychologist Dumitru Iordache (Romania)  highlight the psychology of conflict and the management of difficult or hostile individuals.

Cristiana Radu (Romania)  introduces „Poker Face in Business”—the art of deciphering and governing human cues in an increasingly algorithmic world.

2. Specific Phenomena of the Current Landscape (October 2026)

We inhabit an era characterized by:

 * Artificial intelligence acting simultaneously as an investigative tool and an instrument for manipulation and disinformation.

 * An accelerated erosion of institutional and interpersonal trust.

 * Hybrid threats—spanning sophisticated fraud, influence peddling, cyberattacks, and geopolitical influence operations — outpacing the capacity of traditional law enforcement and security apparatuses.

 * Ethical and legal regulatory frameworks lagging significantly behind technological innovation.

In this landscape, the private investigator is no longer merely a finder of facts, but a strategic actor in safeguarding social stability.

3. Perspectives and Forecasts

This Summer School delineates three clear trajectories for the future of international private investigations:

 * The profession will be redefined by human–AI symbiosis.

   Those who master the tools yet forfeit ethical discernment and the capacity to comprehend human nature will inevitably become irrelevant or dangerous.

 * Knowledge hubs such as this will function as incubators for public policy.

   The expertise aggregated here—ranging from AI-driven OSINT to conflict psychology—can inform substantive policy reforms in security, public order, and the fight against organized crime.

 * Ethics and morality are no longer optional.

   Absent robust, clear, and internationally coordinated regulation, artificial intelligence risks deepening the abyss into which society is sinking: diminished trust, acute polarization, mass manipulation, and the degradation of individual accountability.

4. Societal Impact.

This center of intellect, responsibility, and inspiration extends its scope beyond security and public order reforms.

It compels a profound reconsideration of ethical and moral frameworks.

Ultimately, the stakes transcend investigative efficiency.

The true objective is to rescue society from the morass induced by complex geopolitical, technological, and social forces, reinstating human judgment and responsibility at the core of decision-making.

The Private Investigators International Summer School demonstrates, for the nineteenth time, (19th Edition) that the private investigative profession can – and must – stand as a pillar of stability, clarity, and moral renewal in a world at risk of losing its compass.

Thank You