AI, Archives, and the Future of Information Governance: Key Insights from NAGARA 2025
Information Governance | Archiving | Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the 2025 NAGARA Annual Conference in Oklahoma City as the closing keynote speaker. Spending two days with government archivists and records administrators gave me valuable insights into what's important to federal, state, and local information leaders. Here are my key takeaways from this thought-provoking event.
Information Management Practitioners as AI Leaders
A central theme throughout the conference was the critical role records managers must play in AI governance. The Kansas State University team, led by Danielle Hall and Ryan Leimkuehler, demonstrated this perfectly through their year-long AI policy development process. Rather than taking a prohibitive approach, they developed clear distinctions between high-risk AI uses (like uploading employee evaluations to generate reports) and low-risk applications (brainstorming, spell-checking). Their key insight: "AI isn't just a tech issue—it's a governance concern" requiring records professionals who understand data ownership, retention policies, and ethical use frameworks.
Similarly, the University of Maryland's "ChatLoS" project showcased how thoughtful AI implementation can transform access to cultural heritage materials. Their system for the Maryland State Archives' Legacy of Slavery collection demonstrates that transparency and accountability—hallmarks of good records management—are essential for ethical AI deployment. Every AI response includes clear explanations, direct links to source documents, and transparent decision-making processes.
Preparing for an AI-Ready Future
Dr. Grant Jacoby's framework for managing unstructured data resonated strongly with attendees facing mountains of "ROT" (Redundant, Obsolete, Trivial) content. His message was clear: "Metadata is what AI lives on." Without accurate, structured metadata, AI systems cannot effectively process content. His empowering conclusion—"You are the unicorn; you can do this"—emphasized that information professionals possess unique skills to bridge traditional records management with AI-powered governance.
The Human Element Remains Critical
Despite the focus on technology, the conference reinforced that human judgment and care remain paramount. A powerful keynote panel on secondary trauma highlighted how archivists managing sensitive collections need organizational support beyond individual "self-care." The concept of "collective care" emerged as a framework for protecting professionals who preserve difficult histories while "revisiting trauma while moving towards recovery."
This human-centered approach was also evident in Salma Berrada El Azizi's World Bank case study on automating declassification processes. Even as they developed AI tools to review classification types and creation dates for declassification recommendations, humans remain required to ultimately approve all determinations. The system provides confidence levels with its recommendations, but the "human-in-the-loop" model ensures accountability and prevents over-reliance on automated decision-making. This approach exemplifies how AI can enhance efficiency while preserving the critical human oversight that information governance demands.
Looking Forward: A Strategic Partnership
The announcement of AIIM's new strategic partnership with NAGARA reflects the evolving landscape of information management. This collaboration creates opportunities for knowledge sharing between public and private sector professionals, bringing together AIIM's technology focus with NAGARA's expertise in government records and archives. Based on the excellent knowledge exchange at this conference, I'm excited about our shared future serving this vital community.
As I heard repeatedly throughout the event: records belong to the people. The professionals working to preserve, protect, and provide access to these records are navigating an increasingly complex landscape where AI offers both tremendous opportunities and significant challenges. The insights shared at NAGARA 2025 demonstrate that the information management community is ready to lead this transformation thoughtfully and responsibly.
About Tori Miller Liu, CIP
Tori Miller Liu, MBA, FASAE, CAE, CIP is the President & CEO of the Association for Intelligent Information Management. She is an experienced association executive, technology leader, speaker, and facilitator. Previously, she served as the Chief Information Officer of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and been working in association management since 2006. Tori is a current member of the ASAE Executive Management Advisory Council and Association Coalition for AI. She is a former member of the ASAE Technology Professional Advisory Council and a former Board Member of Association Women Technology Champions. She was named a 2020 Association Trends Young & Aspiring Professional and 2021 Association Forum Forty under 40 award recipient. She is also an alumna of the ASAE NextGen program. She is a Certified Association Executive and holds an MBA from George Washington University. In 2023, Tori was named as a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).