For your preferred AI assistant:
Please help me draft a clear, concise and focused request for recorded information only.
Subject of the request:
[insert subject]
Background material:
[paste article, correspondence, notes or summary]
Before drafting the request, please help me ascertain whether the same or similar information may already be publicly available, and whether the request still appears worthwhile.
Please then produce:
- A short FoI request of no more than two paragraphs.
- Numbered information points, if more than one item is requested.
- Wording that asks only for recorded information, not explanations, opinions or general comment.
- Wording that avoids legal argument, complaint language, speculation or unnecessary background.
- The narrowest useful version of the request likely to capture the information sought.
- A short note explaining whether the request may be too broad, how it could be narrowed, and whether it appears to serve a genuine public interest.
Do not invent facts, legislation, case law, ICO decisions or public records. If something is uncertain, say so clearly.
Note: I am not an FoI lawyer or information-rights expert, and this is not legal advice. I write from practical experience as a requester, including lessons learned from requests that could possibly have been framed more clearly. Much of the recent discussion around AI and FoI has understandably focused on the burden AI may create for public authorities. That concern is real. But there is also an opportunity to use AI at the start of the process: to help requesters narrow their requests, remove unnecessary argument, avoid duplication and focus on recorded information. This template is my lay attempt to contribute something practical and constructive.
This prompt is deliberately cautious. It asks the AI to reduce rather than expand the request and to consider whether the information may already be public before producing a draft. That matters because Freedom of Information works best when requests are clear, focused and directed at recorded information likely to be held.
The purpose of this template is not to encourage more FoI requests. The purpose is to encourage better FoI requests.