Information Commissioner publishes guidance for public bodies amid surge in AI-generated FOI  requests

The ICO said the guidance is in response to public authorities that say they are also seeing requests that misquote legislation or require significant clarification before they can be processed.

According to the document, the trend has seen FOI requests that are “very long, repetitive and contain unrelated comments or misdirected demands”, while having a greater scope.

It also noted that the requests are sometimes written in a way which makes it harder to identify the information being requested.

To help tackle this, the document includes guidance on requests that are generated using AI that misinterpret or misquote FOI legislation; managing higher volumes of requests that require clarification or refinement; and maintaining fair and consistent handling of requests, regardless of how they are created.

It also includes examples of practical wording public authorities can use to encourage responsible use of AI by requesters and support clearer, more effective FOI requests.

Deborah Clark, Upstream Regulation Manager at the Information Commissioner’s Office, said that FOI practitioners have told the ICO that AI-generated requests are "changing the day-to-day reality of their work".

She added: "This guidance is about giving teams practical, sensible support, not adding new burdens. It does not change the law or create new requirements, instead it helps teams apply existing FOI principles consistently, regardless of how a request is created.

"Used responsibly, AI also has the potential to help public authorities improve how they handle FOI requests, and this guidance sits alongside our wider work to support innovation that delivers real benefits for organisations and the public."

Clark said the ICO's aim is to support and maintain effective access to information for everyone, while making sure FOI services remain workable and resilient as technology continues to evolve.

Adam Carey