B.C. Government Uses AI to Speed Up Freedom of Information Requests
British Columbia's provincial government has begun using artificial intelligence tools to process freedom of information requests, the Ministry of Citizens' Services confirmed. The tools currently handle specific tasks like reviewing handwritten documents and removing personal information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers.
The government contracted Victoria-based AOT Technologies for $5.7 million to modernize the freedom of information system. A new processing application is expected to launch later this month.
How the Tools Work
The AI system uses Microsoft's Azure technology to scan documents and identify information that analysts typically redact. The ministry says staff use only government-approved enterprise tools subject to strict privacy and security requirements.
The ministry stated that personal information is not used to train AI models and that tools operate in a closed government environment isolated from the public internet.
However, the ministry does not notify applicants when AI is used in processing their requests. When asked directly about AI use, the ministry said it would provide only "general information" rather than case-by-case disclosure.
The Concerns
Experts raised questions about accountability and oversight. Evan Light, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's faculty of information, said he finds the approach concerning.
"Once information is ingested by an AI, it's not just held by an individual or a government; our control of it is not there anymore," Light said.
Mike Larsen, president of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, noted that there is no formal policy framework for incorporating AI into freedom of information processing federally or provincially. He warned about "black-boxed processes" that lack transparency.
Larsen added that the head of a public body remains legally responsible for administering the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. "There is no rule that allows anyone to offload that to a machine," he said.
What the Government Says
The Ministry of Citizens' Services said AI tools support staff but never make decisions about redactions or other freedom of information outcomes. "The decision of what is redacted is always made by our experienced FOIPPA experts," a spokesperson wrote.
The ministry said the current system faces increasing pressure. Freedom of information requests have grown more complex and resource-intensive, and the average page count of responses has risen 86 percent over five years.
A Broader Trend
B.C. is not alone. The federal government has also developed AI tools to process Access to Information requests. Transport Canada, the Department of National Defence, and Public Services and Procurement Canada are designing tools to identify and redact sensitive information.
Light predicted that if these tools succeed, other Canadian governments will adopt them. "This sort of stuff tends to spread pretty quickly in Canada," he said.
The Staffing Question
Light suggested an alternative: hire and train more people. "The issue is that there aren't that many people that do freedom of information work," he said. "If government treated it like a professional pursuit, which it is, and invested real money in training and in people, then they'd wind up with systems that were sustainable."
B.C.'s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner recommended that if AI is used, public bodies should provide meaningful human oversight, transparency about how information is handled, and ensure applicants can challenge decisions.
The commissioner also recommended that privacy laws be amended to require public bodies to notify individuals when automated decision-making systems are used in processes affecting them.
Background: Why This Matters
B.C.'s freedom of information system has struggled with delays despite implementing a $10 filing fee in 2021. The government said the fee would speed responses by reducing requests. Instead, the province became less likely to meet its legal deadlines.
The province collected $70,000 in processing fees last year, up from $54,000 the year before, even though the total number of requests dropped. Experts attribute the decline to longer wait times, broad redactions, and escalating costs that discourage people from filing requests.
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