Speaker: Professor Jason R. Baron, University of Maryland
Abstract: Given ever-increasing, enormous volumes of public records in electronic form, many government departments and agencies struggle to meet their disclosure obligations under freedom of information (FOI) laws. The challenges public authorities face are magnified due to existing backlogs and ongoing fiscal and resource constraints, all of which contribute to substantial delays in processing new requests. In the United States, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) sets a statutory time frame of 20 working days for federal agencies to respond to requests, yet government lawyers increasingly have been called on to file declarations under oath from agency officials that it may take decades to complete a large volume request response. The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into access request workflows holds out the potential to dramatically improve the FOI “user experience,” which we will refer to here as the “requester’s experience” or “RX.” This lecture will first survey how federal agencies in the United States are employing AI tools to improve processing of requests filed under the FOIA, including using machine learning and chatbot capabilities. The lecture will proceed to describe how agentic AI might transform a future FOIA process for requesters into a seamless, automated, interactive, end-to-end workflow, subject to human-in-the-loop quality controls and supervision at key stages. Notwithstanding legitimate concerns regarding the future use of “black box” algorithmic processes, the view will be expressed that on balance using AI methods will lead to a more transparent and accountable government.
Bios: Jason R. Baron is a professor of the practice in the College of Information at the University of Maryland. During his 33 years in government, he served as the first appointed director of litigation at the US National Archives and Records Administration, and before that as a trial attorney and senior counsel at the Justice Department. In those capacities, Mr. Baron acted as lead counsel on landmark lawsuits involving the preservation of White House email and played a leading role in improving federal electronic recordkeeping policies. He is a recipient of the international Emmett Leahy Award, given for achievements in records and information management. Mr. Baron received his B.A. magna cum laude with honors from Wesleyan University, and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law.