On January 14 and 15, the McCain Institute at Arizona State University convened Think No More, a two-day immersive workshop in collaboration with the Decision Theater, examining how artificial intelligence reshapes judgment, accountability, and institutional decision-making across national security and democratic systems.
The convening marked the capstone of the McCain Institute’s American Democracy and Technology Policy Translation Fellowship, supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and led by Hallie J. Stern, the McCain Institute’s inaugural Fellow. The fellowship focused on translating advanced research on AI and democratic governance into applied policy frameworks for practitioners operating in high-stakes environments.
An Applied, Experiential Program
Think No More brought together experts from government, industry, research, and the arts to examine how AI systems influence human cognition, institutional incentives, and operational outcomes. In planning the workshop, Hallie explained that:
“The fellowship focused on experiential learning and translating research into practice, examining how real-world systems behave under pressure. Using ASU’s Decision Theater for immersive simulations allowed us to move beyond theoretical risks and see how artificial intelligence shapes judgment, accountability, and institutional decision-making across democratic and national security systems.”
Participants engaged with critical questions, including:
- How can institutional reliance on AI produce unseen points of failure?
- How do opaque and complex AI systems make accountability harder to enforce?
- What oversight and governance approaches can effectively constrain AI use in national security and critical infrastructure?
Highlights include an immersive national defense simulation in the Decision Theater, placing participants in the role of training a next-generation AI system responsible for U.S. defense decision-making, and a tabletop exercise examining AI-mediated information failure during a simulated agricultural crisis.
Outcomes and Forthcoming White Paper
Insights and materials generated during Think No More will serve as the analytic foundation for a forthcoming policy white paper. The publication will synthesize findings from the year-long fellowship and the applied workshops conducted during the convening, translating experiential observations into actionable policy recommendations. The white paper will further the McCain Institute’s ongoing work on democratic resilience, emerging technology governance, and national security, reflecting the interdisciplinary perspectives represented throughout the program.
