The US government is turning to artificial intelligence to speed up the way federal agencies review and redact documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The move could change how agencies remove sensitive information from public records, while also raising questions about how much information ultimately reaches the public.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to use AI to identify information that may need to be removed from documents released through FOIA requests. US Customs and Border Protection, which operates under DHS, is expected to use Google's AI and machine-learning technology to recommend potential redactions to FOIA officers.
According to the department's AI use-case information, the technology is intended to reduce the time required to process requests. DHS has said employees will still review the results before releasing records.
The planned use is expected to cover certain categories of FOIA requests that account for more than 10% of the department's submissions, according to reporting by The Washington Post.
DHS is not the only federal department exploring automated document review. The Department of the Interior is using Microsoft technology in connection with potential attorney-client information, while the Justice Department has deployed Veritone's aiWARE for video redaction.
The Department of Health and Human Services is also testing an AI-based system to review and redact records. Its 2026 FOIA report says some offices are exploring AI and large language models to improve document processing, with qualified FOIA professionals expected to review AI-generated results.
The growing use of AI has raised concerns among FOIA experts and transparency advocates. Redacting government records is not simply a matter of finding sensitive words. Officers must determine whether information falls under one of FOIA's legal exemptions.
There are also concerns that an AI system could reproduce existing patterns of over-redaction. A previous study of government records found AI could identify potentially exempt material, but it also made mistakes in deciding what to withhold.
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For now, federal agencies say AI is being introduced as an assistance tool rather than a replacement for human review. DHS employees are expected to check AI recommendations before records are released.
The broader question is whether automation will help agencies clear FOIA backlogs faster without unnecessarily limiting public access to government information. As more departments experiment with AI-assisted redaction, these systems will likely remain under scrutiny for accuracy and oversight.