Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Freedom of Information (FOI) Processing

This privacy notice explains how we may use your personal data during the development and testing of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools intended to support the processing of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. This notice supplements our main FOI/EIR request Privacy Notice and should be read in conjunction with any relevant service-specific notices. 

Purpose of Processing 

We are currently exploring the use of AI technologies to improve the efficiency and timeliness of our FOI request handling processes. AI is not being used to make decisions or respond to requests independently. All outputs are reviewed and validated by trained council officers. 

The development phase involves: 

• Analysing anonymised or test data to train and evaluate AI models.
• Assessing the potential benefits and risks of AI-assisted FOI processing.
• Ensuring compliance with data protection and transparency obligations.

Lawful Basis for Processing 

The lawful basis for processing personal data during this development phase is: 

• UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

What Data We Use 

During development, we aim to use: 

• Anonymised data wherever possible.
• In some cases, limited personal data may be used for testing purposes, subject to strict safeguards.

Types of data may include: 

• Content of FOI requests

Data Sharing and Security 

• No third-party AI developers or suppliers are involved in the data processing; this has been developed in-house using systems created by the council and code written by the council.
• Personal data will not be used by AI providers to train or improve their own models.
• All data is stored securely within the UK or in accordance with UK adequacy regulations.

Automated Decision-Making 

No decisions are made solely by automated means. All AI-generated outputs are subject to human review and oversight. 

Retention 

Data used in AI development will be retained only as long as necessary for the purposes of testing and evaluation. 

Your Rights 

Your rights are not affected.  All information regarding your rights is available on the main privacy notice.   

Updates to This Notice 

This privacy notice will be reviewed and updated as the AI development progresses. Any significant changes will be communicated via our website.