Dr James Johnson

Biography

James (Jim) Johnson is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Strategic Studies in the Department of Politics & International Relations at the University of Aberdeen. He is the founding Director of the Strategic Studies Network (SSN). He is also an Honorary Fellow at the University of Leicester, a Non-Resident Research Associate on the European Research Council-funded Towards a Third Nuclear Age Project, and a Mid-Career Cadre with the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Project on Nuclear Issues. He advises various parts of the US, UK, and European governments on AI and nuclear policy, including the US Department of Defense, the NATO Nuclear Planning Group, and the Global Commission on Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM). Previously, he was an Assistant Professor at Dublin City University, a Non-Resident Fellow with the Modern War Institute at West Point, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California.

Jim's research examines the intersection of nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence, political psychology, and strategic affairs, with a particular focus on deterrence, crisis decision-making, and the future of warfare. His work has been published in International Affairs, Review of International Studies, The Journal of Strategic Studies, The Washington Quarterly, The European Journal of International Security, The Pacific Review, War on the Rocks, and other outlets. Jim is the author of The AI Commander (OUP, 2024), AI and the Bomb (OUP, 2023), Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Warfare (MUP, 2021), and The US-China Military & Defense Relationship During the Obama Presidency (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). His forthcoming book, Machines at the Brink, examines how AI-enabled decision-support systems are reshaping nuclear deterrence, escalation, and decision-making during international crises. Jim received his PhD from the University of Leicester and is fluent in Mandarin.

Research Overview

• Strategic affairs 
• Artificial intelligence & future warfare
• Political psychology
• Nuclear weapons policy & non-proliferation 

Current Research

Project: AI and the Future of Nuclear Stability & Crisis Decision-Making

This project addresses a critical yet underexplored threat to nuclear stability: the integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled decision-support systems into nuclear command-and-control architectures and their deployment in high-stakes strategic environments. Nuclear-armed states are increasingly exploring AI tools to simulate crises, forecast adversary behavior, analyze intelligence, and support national security decision-making. While these systems promise enhanced foresight and accelerated decision processes, they also introduce novel cognitive, ethical, and institutional risks. In particular, AI-enabled decision-support systems—including emerging generative AI applications—may distort perception, generate misleading signals, and heighten the risk of miscalculation or inadvertent escalation during nuclear crises. This project seeks to diagnose these risks, develop anticipatory mitigation strategies, and inform governance frameworks before AI-enabled decision-support systems become deeply embedded in strategic decision-making.

Funding: This project is supported by Longview Philanthropy.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Director of Strategic Studies
• Director & Founder of the Strategic Studies Wargaming Club
• Director & Founder of the Strategic Studies Network (SSN)