Callease AI Named Finalist for AI Innovator - Defence and National Security at the Australian AI Awards 2026
Brisbane-based Callease AI has been named one of ten finalists in the AI Innovator - Defence and National Security category at the Australian AI Awards 2026.
Brisbane, September 2026. Callease AI has been named a finalist in the AI Innovator - Defence and National Security category at the Australian AI Awards 2026, recognising its work building AI for private security control rooms.
Callease is one of ten finalists in the category, alongside Australian defence and security technology companies including DroneShield, Greenroom Robotics and OSINT Combine.
About the Australian AI Awards
The Australian AI Awards, presented by AI Daily, a Momentum Media brand, recognise the organisations and individuals leading the adoption and development of artificial intelligence across Australia. The 2026 program spans individual and organisational categories across sectors including defence, cyber security, financial services, healthcare and the public sector.
Winners will be announced at the awards gala on Friday, 30 October 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Sydney.
The full list of finalists is available on the Australian AI Awards website.
AI for private security operations
Callease is building the operator layer for private security control rooms, starting with conversational AI. The platform pairs natural conversation with a deterministic policy engine, giving security providers predictable decisions and a complete, tamper-evident record of every interaction.
Private security personnel protect critical infrastructure, government sites and public spaces across Australia. The finalist recognition places Callease within the defence and national security technology conversation, where accountable, auditable AI is a baseline requirement.
Founder statement
“Private security is a frontline layer of Australia’s national security. Being recognised in the Defence and National Security category reflects the standard we build to: AI that is deterministic, auditable and accountable in environments where the stakes are real.”
Keiwal Kotak, Founder and CEO, Callease AI
Recent recognition
The finalist announcement follows Callease's selection as one of eight national finalists at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield x Stripe in Sydney in August 2026.
About Callease AI
Callease AI is an Australian conversational AI company headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, building the operating system for private security control rooms. Callease works with enterprise security providers across Australia and is expanding into New Zealand, Singapore and India.