NARA · NARA - 0003 · record R3199

NARA@WORK Kendra Search

National Archives and Records Administration · National Archives & Records Administration (NARA)

Overview

Development stage: DeployedSource: c) Deployed – The use case is being actively authorized or utilized to support the functions or mission of an agency.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Not reported
Start date: 2025-09-01 (day precision)Source: 2025-09-01T00:00:00
Withheld from public reporting: Yes (disclosure risk)Source: b) Yes – agency has determined that there’s a risk to disclosure, such as a harm to an interest protected by a FOIA exemption

Mission

Topic area: Other
Operational functions: No function tag matched Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

The AI is intended to solve the problem of inefficient employee information discovery by replacing outdated keyword search with a natural language system that provides instant, context-aware answers from disparate agency resources.

Expected benefits

NARA is implementing an AI-driven contextual information retrieval tool (e.g., Amazon Kendra) to modernize search functionality on the NARA@Work internal site. This will enable staff to use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to query a wide range of agency information (Work Life, Benefits, Policies, etc.) and receive "Suggested Answers."

System outputs

This AI-powered tool will drive significant productivity gains across the agency by enabling staff to find critical information faster and more efficiently. By utilizing contextual retrieval and "Suggested Answers," the system ensures higher quality and more accurate results compared to traditional search methods.

Technology

AI classification: Natural language processingSource: Natural Language Processing: AI that processes, interprets, and shares information in human language.
System name(s): NARA@Work
Custom-developed code: No
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Developed in-houseSource: b) Developed in-house
Vendor (as reported): Not reported
Vendors (standardized): None on the standard list

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: No
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: Yes
Demographic features: k) None of the above
Training and evaluation data: The data is internally (Intranet) available at internal site work.nara.gov
Federal Data Catalog: Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewNo answer reported

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNo answer reported

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported