Research into government AI governance is a domain where the distinction between independent inquiry and commercially motivated intelligence gathering matters. ThinkCapital provides these disclosures proactively — not because they have been requested — because transparency about funding, interests, and data practices is a precondition for credible research. Senior government practitioners, contractors, and academic researchers deserve to know exactly who is behind this work and what constraints govern it before they agree to participate.
Research Participant Documents
Participation in the GIAG research program is governed by four documents. The full set is available as a single PDF download. Individual sections are summarized below.
Research Participation Agreement & Informed Consent
Describes the research, your rights as a participant, and ThinkCapital's binding obligations to you. Signature required from both parties before the interview.
Data Processing & Privacy Notice
GDPR-compliant disclosure of what personal data is collected, how it is used, how long it is retained, and what rights you hold. Informational — no signature required.
Attribution Release
Required only for participants choosing named attribution. Separate from general consent — ensures attribution is an explicit, deliberate choice. Includes pre-publication review rights.
Research Integrity & Conflict of Interest Statement
ThinkCapital's funding disclosures, interests, and research standards. Signed by the Principal Researcher. Provided to participants as an accountability instrument.
Participant Rights
Every GIAG research participant holds the following rights. These are documented in the Research Participation Agreement and are binding on ThinkCapital LLC.
| Right | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|
| Withdraw at any time | You may stop participating at any point — including after the interview — without providing a reason and without any consequence to you professionally or otherwise. |
| Data deletion | You may request deletion of all data associated with your participation at any time before publication of aggregate findings. Requests are fulfilled within 30 days. |
| Quote review | Any direct quote proposed for publication will be sent to you for review before it appears. You have 14 days to approve, request changes, or withdraw attribution. |
| Choose attribution level | You choose whether your name appears, whether only your role/sector is given, or whether your contributions are entirely anonymous. You may change this choice at any time before publication. |
| Receive findings | All participants receive a summary of aggregate findings upon completion of the research program, regardless of attribution preference. |
| GDPR rights (if applicable) | EU residents hold additional rights including access, rectification, erasure, portability, and the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. See Document 2 for full details. |
Data Privacy
ThinkCapital collects only information necessary for the research. The following accordion panels summarize key provisions of the Data Processing and Privacy Notice.
ThinkCapital collects: your name, title, organization, and email (for scheduling and pre-publication review); your recorded or transcribed interview responses; professional context you provide (organization type, AI systems in use); and correspondence related to the research.
We do not intentionally collect special categories of data (health information, political opinions, racial or ethnic origin). Please do not volunteer such information during the interview.
Your data is used solely to conduct, transcribe, and analyze the GIAG research interview, and to produce aggregate findings. It is not used for marketing, competitive intelligence, vendor advisory work, or any commercial purpose unrelated to the research program.
- Recordings: Deleted within 12 months of research program conclusion, or upon your withdrawal request — whichever is earlier.
- Transcripts and coded notes: Retained for the duration of the program plus 24 months, then deleted (or upon request).
- Participant register (name, contact, attribution preference): Held separately from analytical files, retained for program duration plus 24 months.
- Aggregate findings: Retained indefinitely. Aggregate findings contain no personal data.
ThinkCapital uses IONOS for website hosting, Cloudflare for SSL/TLS and CDN, and Formspree for engagement form submissions. Video call platforms are used for interviews (recordings are downloaded and deleted from provider servers promptly). If an AI transcription service is used, this will be disclosed to you before use and requires your explicit consent.
No third party receives your identifiable interview content for any purpose other than transcription.
Interview recordings and transcripts are stored on password-protected, encrypted storage accessible only to Principal Researcher Michael Bragen. The participant register is held separately from all analytical files. The site is served over HTTPS. No personal data is stored in shared analytical files such as the GIAG Coding Workbook.
In the event of a data breach affecting your personal data, you will be notified within 72 hours of ThinkCapital becoming aware of it, where required by applicable law.
ThinkCapital is based in California, USA. If you are located in the European Economic Area, your data will be transferred to and processed in the United States. ThinkCapital relies on your explicit consent (GDPR Article 49(1)(a)) as the transfer mechanism, and applies a minimal-data principle — we collect only what is necessary for the research.
To exercise any GDPR right, email [email protected] with the subject line GIAG Data Rights Request. ThinkCapital will respond within 30 days.
Attribution Policy
Attribution is participant-controlled at every stage. Your choice may be changed at any time before publication.
| Level | What is disclosed | Document required |
|---|---|---|
| Attributed | Your name, title, and organization may be associated with specific quotes, with your review and approval before publication. | Research Participation Agreement + Attribution Release (Doc 3) |
| Role / Sector Only | Quotes attributed only to role type and sector (e.g., Senior IT Executive, Federal Agency). Name and organization not disclosed. | Research Participation Agreement only |
| Anonymous | No identifying information — including role type — associated with your responses. Contributions appear in aggregate findings only. | Research Participation Agreement only |
For participants choosing named attribution: ThinkCapital will send you the specific proposed quote(s), the document in which they will appear, and the proposed attribution line. You have 14 days to respond with approval, changes, or withdrawal. Attribution consent for any specific quote may be withdrawn up to the point of publication without affecting your participation status.
Conflicts of Interest & Funding
The GIAG research initiative is entirely self-funded by ThinkCapital LLC. No government agency, vendor, technology company, consulting firm, or third party has provided financial support, in-kind resources, or research direction. ThinkCapital has not received and will not accept conditional funding — meaning funding that comes with requirements regarding findings, participant access, publication decisions, or data sharing.
ThinkCapital discloses the following interests that participants should be aware of:
ThinkCapital LLC offers advisory services to government and private sector clients in IT strategy and AI governance. Research findings may inform ThinkCapital's advisory practice. However, aggregate research findings will not be provided to any advisory client before public release.
Michael Bragen, the Principal Researcher, is conducting an active job search in the IT strategy and government advisory sector as of March 2026. The ThinkCapital research platform is part of his professional positioning. Participants are entitled to know this.
ThinkCapital intends to publish research findings publicly. Publication, visibility, and professional reputation are direct interests of the Principal Researcher. ThinkCapital will not alter, suppress, or selectively report findings to serve any commercial, political, or personal interest — including its own.
- No commercial relationships with any AI system vendor, cloud provider, cybersecurity firm, or technology company whose products may be discussed in interviews.
- No active contracts with any federal, state, or local government agency as of March 2026.
- No equity, employment, advisory, or financial relationship with any organization that could benefit competitively from this research.
I affirm that the disclosures on this page are accurate and complete as of the date signed, and that I will update them if material changes occur before the research program concludes.
Questions Participants Frequently Ask
These questions are addressed in the formal documents but are summarized here for convenience. If your question is not answered here, contact [email protected].
Only if you explicitly choose the "Attributed" option and sign an Attribution Release. The default is Role/Sector Only, meaning your agency or employer is never named unless you have consented in writing. Anonymous participation is also available.
ThinkCapital LLC is a private company and is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Your responses to ThinkCapital are not agency records and are not subject to FOIA. ThinkCapital will not voluntarily disclose your identifiable responses to any government body. If you are concerned about discussing specific classified or sensitive program information, you are not required to do so — the interviews focus on governance practices and frameworks, not classified operational details.
No. ThinkCapital LLC is an independent private research and advisory firm with no affiliation to, contract with, or funding from any government agency, including GSA, OMB, NIST, or any Inspector General office. This research is not commissioned by, reported to, or shared with any government body.
ThinkCapital does not require it. However, participants — particularly government employees — are responsible for ensuring their participation complies with their own organization's policies on external communications. Many agencies distinguish between participation in academic-style research (generally permitted) and media interviews (often requiring clearance). This research falls in the former category. When in doubt, a brief informal check with your agency communications or ethics office is advisable.
The interviews focus on governance practices, frameworks, and organizational patterns — not on specific client contracts, system architectures, or proprietary methods. You are not required to name clients, describe specific contract terms, or disclose information your employer has designated as proprietary. If a question approaches this territory, you may simply decline to answer that specific question without affecting your participation.
ThinkCapital LLC is not affiliated with a university and is not subject to Institutional Review Board oversight. In place of IRB review, ThinkCapital applies an explicit ethical framework documented in the Research Integrity and Conflict of Interest Statement (TC-GIAG-COI-v1.0), covering informed consent, voluntary participation, minimal data collection, right to withdraw, beneficence, and non-maleficence.
Participants affiliated with universities whose policies require IRB or equivalent ethical oversight for engagement in external research should ensure their institution's requirements are satisfied. ThinkCapital will provide documentation of its ethical framework to any institutional review office upon request.
If ThinkCapital LLC ceases operations, participant data will be securely deleted rather than transferred to any successor or third party. Aggregate findings that have already been published publicly will remain available but contain no personal data.
Yes. Once findings are publicly released, they may be cited in academic, professional, and policy publications. ThinkCapital will provide a formal citation format when findings are published. Pre-publication findings are not available for citation; all participants receive a pre-publication summary for review purposes only.
Note for Government Employees
Agency policy compliance is your responsibility. ThinkCapital does not require agency authorization for participation, but participants are responsible for ensuring their participation complies with their organization's policies regarding external communications. When in doubt, a brief informal check with your agency communications or ethics office is advisable. Many agencies distinguish between participation in academic-style research — which this is — and media interviews, which often require clearance. ThinkCapital is happy to provide this Research Integrity documentation to your ethics or communications office if that would be helpful.
The GIAG interviews are designed with government participants in mind. Specifically:
- You will not be asked to disclose classified information, specific contract values, or operational details designated as sensitive.
- You are not required to speak on behalf of your agency — you are speaking from your own professional experience and perspective.
- Your agency's name will not appear in any published findings unless you have given explicit written attribution consent.
- ThinkCapital's findings will be published publicly and will not be provided to any government body, oversight authority, or competitor before that public release.
Questions about participating as a government employee? Contact [email protected].