Tony Blair’s retrospective evaluation of the Freedom of Information Act highlights his regret, a sentiment echoed by current technology secretary Peter Kyle after it revealed his usage of ChatGPT for podcast recommendations. This disclosure has fueled concerns over transparency and frank discussions among government officials. Historical patterns show that while such requests are legally attainable, officials often find ways to deny them. The unexpected approval of Kyle’s requests has led to predictions of more similar inquiries, igniting discussions about the boundaries of transparency in government communications.
It's the first time I've come across that information being released, but it's completely in line with the basic principles of the act, said Martin Rosenbaum, a former BBC journalist and FoI consultant.
If ministers or officials are doing stuff on their phone or computers which is done for work purposes on behalf of a public authority, that is subject to FoI whatever device they're using.
I'm surprised the department didn't fight it harder, said Rosenbaum. Some departments would have tried to resist it all the way.
Given that attitude, the granting of access to Kyle's ChatGPT queries has shocked experts.
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