FIFTH ANNUAL SUNSHINE WEEK SYMPOSIUM – March 17–21, 2025

free speech

Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) hosted its Fifth Annual Sunshine Week Symposium, entitled “Advanced Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of the Freedom of Information Act,” between March 17–21, 2025.  The symposium panel discussion took place on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center as part of “Sunshine Fest 2025,” which was organized by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.

Symposium participants included:

  • Jason R. Baron, University of Maryland
  • Alex Howard, Civic Texts
  • Irvin McCullough, consultant, Government Accountability Project
  • Sean O’Neill, U.S. Department of Justice Office of Information Policy
  • Nick Wittenberg, Armedia

Symposium Prompt: The Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) is an essential tool for promoting transparency and accountability in the federal government.  Technological developments, such as the transition to electronic records, have long impacted FOIA administration.  But in recent years, the arrival of advanced Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) has prompted especially important conversations about the promises and limits of relying on AI-driven systems to assist in the management, processing, and disclosure of agency records.  What is the impact of advanced technology—and especially, AI—on the future of FOIA, both in terms of potential benefits and inevitable challenges, and on open government more broadly?

Issues discussed and explored:

  • The role of AI and other technologies in federal records management and retrieval.
  • The potential for AI to improve the requester experience, especially in terms of drafting and submitting FOIA requests.
  • The use of AI, including natural language processing models and machine learning, to improve the speed, accuracy, and cost efficiency of agency processing efforts.
  • The promise of AI to facilitate proactive disclosure and address ancillary issues, such as compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
  • The impact of AI on declassification review.
  • The prospects and limits of generative and predictive AI technologies when used for responsiveness review and redaction.
  • The impact of AI on judicial review of agency FOIA determinations and, more broadly, FOIA litigation.
  • The intersection of FOIA, AI, privacy concerns, and the current state of public trust in the federal government.