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Freedom251 › Blog › AI inventories

How to Find Out Whether a Government Agency Uses a Particular AI System

By Freedom251 Team · · 5 min read

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For a U.S. federal agency, start with the 2025 Federal Agency AI Use Case Inventory, then check the agency’s own AI inventory and related records. Search the system’s name, vendor, abbreviations, and the function it performs. If public sources do not establish whether it is in use, request specific existing records from the agency. An inventory match is evidence of a reported use case—not, by itself, proof that the system is currently operating in a particular office or affecting a specific decision.

Start with the right government entity

First establish whether the organization is a federal executive-branch agency, a state or local agency, a court, a legislature, or a contractor working for government. Federal FOIA applies to federal agencies; it does not cover state and local governments, Congress, or federal courts. For those bodies, use the applicable state or local public-records law and identify the agency’s records custodian.

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For a federal agency, use the Office of Management and Budget’s 2025 Federal Agency AI Use Case Inventory as a starting point. It consolidates public inventories hosted by agencies and is updated on a rolling basis. Follow the repository’s agency links to the agency’s own inventory, since the agency page may contain more detail or a later update.

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Search both the inventory and agency records

Use several names and descriptions

Search the exact product or model name, the vendor, common abbreviations, the responsible agency component, and the task the system might perform. A system may be described by its function—such as document review or customer service—rather than by a familiar commercial brand. Also try searches combining the agency name with “AI inventory,” “use case,” “privacy impact assessment,” “procurement,” and “records.”

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Check individual and consolidated entries

The OMB repository separates individually reported use cases from consolidated commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) reporting. A tool embedded in widely used commercial software may therefore be included in a grouped entry instead of appearing under its product name. Read the description and purpose of relevant consolidated entries, not just the list of named systems.

Agency-hosted pages can clarify how an inventory is organized. The Department of Justice AI Inventory, for example, says its 2025 inventory includes pre-deployment, pilot, deployed, and retired use cases, and explains that some common uses are consolidated. Other examples of agency publication pages include the Federal Reserve Board AI Use Case Inventory and the GSA 2025 AI use cases.

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Look beyond inventory pages

Search the agency’s privacy documents, FOIA reading room or library, procurement records, and official AI policies. A policy can establish which tools are authorized or restricted without identifying every actual use. For example, the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual section on artificial intelligence describes approval and official-use restrictions for commercial AI tools.

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Interpret a match—and a missing result—carefully

For each promising record, note the agency and component, system or vendor label, stated purpose, lifecycle stage, reporting year, publication or update date, and the source document. Keep these statuses distinct: planned or pre-deployment, in development, pilot, deployed, and retired. An entry’s label and date matter: a historical or retired use is not evidence of current operation.

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A contract or procurement notice can show acquisition activity, but acquisition alone does not establish that a system was put into operational use. Look for records that corroborate implementation or operational status before describing a system as deployed.

A search with no match does not prove the agency does not use the system. The OMB inventory excludes certain uses, including uses within the Intelligence Community or as part of a National Security System, Department of War use cases, and details whose release would conflict with law or government-wide policy. Agencies may omit details that cannot be shared while publishing releasable fields. A product may also be covered in a consolidated entry or described without its brand name.

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The scale figures in the repository are counts of reported inventory entries, not a census of government technology. Its summary, as of April 13, 2026, represented 56 agency submissions and listed 3,611 individually reported AI use cases across all stages of development and 445 high-impact AI use cases. DOJ reported 315 entries in its 2025 inventory on a page updated January 30, 2026. These numbers describe those specific inventory snapshots and should not be read as totals for every agency or every system in use.

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Request records if public sources leave the question open

FOIA.gov recommends searching government websites first, then submitting a written request to the federal agency likely to hold the records. A FOIA request should reasonably describe existing records. An agency does not have to answer a general question, create a record, conduct research, or analyze data for you. Each federal agency handles its own records, so identify the likely component and use its submission process; ask its FOIA contact for routing guidance if needed.

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Ask for records that could establish what happened, rather than asking the agency to decide or explain whether it uses a product. Define a date range, include product and vendor-name variants, and request electronic copies where available. You can adapt this wording:

Under the Freedom of Information Act, please provide existing records from [start date] through [end date] that identify, describe, authorize, acquire, or document operational use by [agency/component] of [system/product name], including known vendor or product-name variants. This request includes relevant AI use-case inventory entries, acquisition or contract records, authorization or policy records, and records identifying the use case’s current lifecycle status. I request electronic copies where available. If any portion is withheld, please release all reasonably segregable non-exempt portions and identify the basis for withholding.

Keep the request narrow enough to point to identifiable records. Check the agency’s FOIA rules and portal, and state a fee limit if appropriate. An agency may release records in part or withhold them under applicable exemptions; complexity and backlog can affect response time. The wording above is a drafting example, not a guarantee that the records will be disclosed.

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For state or local agencies, use the local records process

FOIA.gov’s process is for federal agencies, not state or local bodies. Find the jurisdiction’s public-records law and request portal, then direct the request to the specific agency or records custodian. Use the same practical discipline: name the system and variants, identify the relevant office and date range, and request existing records that show authorization, acquisition, implementation, or operational status.

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