Have you ever wondered whether an agency was using AI to search for responsive documents, or redact the documents your request returned?

The answer to your question could be tucked into over 100 reports submitted to the Attorney General in the last two years. As generative AI found its way into almost every industry in 2023, senior FOIA officials had to answer a question that they hadn’t the year before: “Does your agency currently use any technology to automate record processing? For example, does your agency use machine learning, predictive coding, technology assisted review or similar tools to conduct searches or make redactions?”

The same question was included again in 2024’s Chief FOIA Officer Report. Each federal department or agency that receives more than 50 requests is required to submit this report to the Attorney General.

We want to know more. We’re planning on filing a request to each agency that is using machine learning or AI, but first we need to know which agencies answered “yes” to this question.

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