We want to know more about how federal agencies are using AI initiatives in the FOIA process, described in their yearly Chief FOIA Officer Reports. We’re asking them for the docs.

We’ve filed requests to several agencies for documents related to AI testing in their FOIA offices, including contracts with third party vendors and assessments or audits of the programs so far. To follow along as agencies respond, you can check out our AI in FOIA page, home to all the requests, articles and updates.

Each agency is required to submit a report to the Attorney General, answering questions about the functions of their FOIA office. In 2023, senior FOIA officials had to answer a question that hadn’t been included 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?”

MuckRock readers and volunteers helped review the reports and highlight which agencies were testing artificial intelligence. MuckRock reporters then analyzed the reviews, looking for trends in how agencies were approaching new technologies. The reports revealed that some agencies were testing cutting-edge methods, while others were using more common machine learning technology that has been available for years, such as “e-discovery” tools or software built to navigate large collections of documents in a legal setting.

We want to know more, so we’re requesting contracts and audits to dig deeper — and we’d love your help.