The Double Black Box: National Security, Artificial Intelligence, and the Struggle for Democratic Accountability

National security decisions pose a paradox: they are among the most consequential a government can make, but are generally the least transparent to the democratic public. The "black box" nature of national security decision-making—driven by extensive classification and characterized by difficulty overseeing executive actions —has expanded in the United States as executive power continues to grow.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) systems to enhance national security decision-making—or...