AI is changing both sides of FOIA. Here’s how agencies should prepare.
FOIA teams are under growing pressure as workloads expand and many programs face staffing constraints, technology changes and other resource limitations.
In fiscal year 2025, federal agencies received about 1.7 million FOIA requests, marking a 13% increase from FY2024 and the highest number on record. The Department of Justice alone received more than 27,000 more requests than in FY24, bringing its total to 159,743, while its backlog jumped from 21,567 to 29,309.
As requests pile up, FOIA professionals struggle to make the determinations generally required within FOIA’s 20-working-day statutory period. One analysis found that, on average, requesters with pending FOIA submissions waited more than 240 days to hear back. Delayed determinations can also increase litigation risk, adding cost and work for already overburdened teams.
AI can help workers parse records, route requests, review documents, support redaction and surface the right information.
But it’s a catch-22: That same technology...
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