hackingthethinktank.com

The Future of
Think Tanks

How can LLMs scale think-tank work? Two days. Real tools. Shipped by end of day two.

DateJune 24-25, 2026
LocationFAI HQ, Washington D.C.
FormatIn-person · Two days
HostsFAI & Institute for Progress
The event

On June 24-25, 2026, the Foundation for American Innovation and the Institute for Progress will host the second "Future of Think Tanks Hackathon" - a confirmed follow-up to the successful 2025 edition. Building on what we learned last year, this two-day event returns to the core question: How can LLMs scale think-tank work?

The 2025 hackathon proved it's possible - participants built tools ranging from business card scanners to LLM-powered regulatory compliance estimators, all in a single day. The 2026 edition gives teams two full days to push those ideas further.

Projects from the 2025 hackathon are on the projects page.

Ready to build? Applications are open.
About the event

Why We Hack
Think Tanks

A two-day experiment in accelerating policy research with large language models.

EditionSecond - 2026
DateJune 24-25, 2026
LocationFAI HQ, Washington D.C.
Background

On June 24-25, 2026, the Foundation for American Innovation and the Institute for Progress will convene the second "Future of Think Tanks Hackathon" - building on the successful 2025 edition to continue exploring how large language models can transform policy research.

The 2025 event yielded compelling evidence that LLMs can substantially accelerate traditional think tank operations, with participants developing applications ranging from practical utilities to speculative innovations. The 2026 hackathon expands to two days, giving teams more time to develop and refine their ideas.

Projects that people were willing to share are on the projects page.

Our team

The people behind it

Tim Hwang
FAI / IFP
Lars Schonander
FAI
Caleb Watney
IFP
Zach Graves
FAI
Soren Dayton
FAI
2025 Edition

What Got Built

Six working prototypes shipped in a single day. From legislative red-teaming to LLM cost estimation - here's what participants built.

Neil Chilson
Legislative Red Teaming
View project
Policy Engine
Generating Legislation from PolicyEngine Simulations
View project
Sam Hammond
Business Card Reader
View project
Tim Hwang
Superpersuasion
View project
Will Rinehart
LLM Cost Estimation
View project
Lars Erik Schonander
Executive Order Viewer
View project
Want to add your project to the 2026 list?
Applications open

Apply Now

We're looking for builders - policy people who can code, engineers who care about governance, and everyone in between. Applications take about 10 minutes.

DateJune 24-25, 2026
LocationFAI HQ, Washington D.C.
Capacity30-50 participants
Before you apply
Who we want
Policy people who can build, engineers who care about governance, and hybrid practitioners who've shipped something with AI.
What to expect
Two days of building. Teams form in the morning, build through the afternoon, and demo working prototypes by end of day.
Not a fit if
You've never gone beyond the chat interface, or you're looking to observe rather than build and ship something real.
Open application form →

Reviewed on a rolling basis - Takes ~10 minutes