The Growing Paperwork Challenge Of AI In Britain

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A Sky News report published October 20 found that written complaints, Freedom of Information requests and employment tribunal claims have increased across several UK public services since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The figures show a broad rise, but do not establish that AI caused it; the report also cites evidence that many complaints and claims reflect genuine problems or entitlements, putting pressure on services that depend on people writing detailed submissions.

Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe examined data across a range of channels used by the public to contact organisations. Household complaints about water companies rose 144% since ChatGPT launched, according to the report. Complaints to English local authorities increased 78%, written complaints to GP practices 71%, and complaints to the Department for Work and Pensions 64%. Individual employment tribunal claims rose 62% over the period.

Other reported increases included complaints about legal services, up 49%; written complaints to the NHS, up 35%; complaints about police forces, up 34%; and complaints about public services, up 23%. These are changes reported since ChatGPT’s launch; the figures do not, on their own, show that AI generated the submissions or explain other reasons for each channel’s rise. Sky News noted that individual services have distinct circumstances, including recent problems affecting water companies.

Manthorpe also tested 100 recent Freedom of Information requests with an AI-text detector. The tool classified 89% as fully AI-written and 9% as human-written, while a smaller 2019 sample was classified as entirely human. Sky News cautioned that AI detectors are unreliable and that this small test cannot prove AI caused the wider increase. The report also cited an academic survey in which 58% of civil servants said AI-generated public content significantly affects their work.

Why Public Services Face More Paperwork

The pressure matters because many services still rely on people writing letters, completing forms or setting out arguments in their own words. When chatbots make that work quicker and easier, more people can submit complaints or appeals, increasing the amount that staff must assess. The effect could be especially difficult for systems designed around limited volumes of detailed correspondence rather than standardised information.

But rising volume does not automatically mean rising abuse. Sky News reported that the share of DWP complaints upheld has dropped from somewhere in the 50% range to close to 40%. That is a lower success rate, but a substantially larger total number of complaints could still mean more upheld complaints in absolute terms. The report does not provide the totals needed to calculate that number. The distinction matters: adding barriers to reduce workload could also make it harder for people with valid claims to seek help.

The issue is not limited to the UK. Research by Chris Schmitz, reported by TechCrunch in September, described 84 possible cases of what he calls “agentic flooding” across 11 jurisdictions. The report said many had been broadly stable before 2022 and rose afterward. The UK Housing Ombudsman received about 2,600 complaints in 2022 and just over 7,000 last year, while complaints to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau grew fivefold, according to the source material.

From Chatbot Drafts to Automated Claims

The pattern Sky News describes began after ChatGPT’s public launch in November 2022: years of relatively stable volumes followed by increases that gathered pace. A timeline alone cannot establish causation. Changes in service quality, public awareness, eligibility or other factors may contribute, and the report does not isolate AI’s effect for each organisation.

Regulators have already begun addressing AI-written requests. In May, the Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance after public authorities reported higher volumes and more complex Freedom of Information requests, including some that misstate legislation or require clarification. The ICO’s position, as reported by Sky News, is that an AI-written request remains valid. Authorities do not have to determine whether a person or AI wrote it, though they can seek clarification when a request is unclear.

The next development may be AI agents that submit or pursue requests on a person’s behalf, rather than simply drafting text for them to copy. Manthorpe demonstrated an agent service from Meta. If such tools become widely used, routine tasks such as appealing parking tickets or claiming compensation for delayed rail journeys could generate submissions at much greater speed. The scale and timing of that change remain uncertain.

“It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.”

— Civil servants quoted in an academic survey cited by Sky News

What the Rising Counts Cannot Prove

The reported increases do not establish how much of the growth was caused by generative AI. The FOI detector test covered only 100 recent requests, used a tool the report describes as unreliable, and cannot establish whether a submission was written by AI. Nor does the data explain the reasons behind each channel’s increase or show how many additional submissions were valid.

The longer-term effect of AI agents is also unknown. It is unclear how many people will use them to file requests, whether services can process those submissions, or how organisations will distinguish unclear or duplicate cases from legitimate claims without excluding people who need assistance. The supplied report does not give a detailed implementation plan from government.

Redesigning Forms Before Volumes Grow

The immediate policy choice described in the report is whether public bodies add friction, such as fees or extra steps, or adapt how they collect and process information. The Financial Ombudsman Service found that about a third of its complaints were AI-generated and began charging some professional representatives to make complaints; complaint numbers then fell. That example shows one response, but it does not establish whether the change reduced invalid complaints, valid ones, or both.

Loosemore argues for replacing essay-like submissions with services based on structured data, so people provide specific information in a consistent format rather than drafting long explanations. He calls added friction “a terrible, terrible decision” and warns that technology companies may find ways around it. He also said he could not see the current way UK benefits are run surviving without fundamental changes. These are his views, not a government commitment or a confirmed reform plan.

For now, the next milestones are further evidence on the source and validity of rising submissions, and decisions by public bodies about their forms, staffing and procedures. The report does not identify a national timetable for reform. The central test will be whether services can manage greater volumes while keeping routes open for people with legitimate complaints and claims.

Key Questions

What did the Sky News report find?

It reported increases since ChatGPT launched across several written public-service channels, including complaints to water companies, councils, GP practices and the DWP, as well as employment tribunal claims.

Does the report prove AI caused the increase?

No. The figures show a broad pattern after ChatGPT’s launch, but do not establish causation. The report also says AI-text detectors are unreliable and describes its detector test as inconclusive.

Are the new complaints mostly invalid?

The report does not show that. It cites researcher Chris Schmitz saying most cases he examined involved people claiming something they were entitled to claim. The validity of every submission cannot be inferred from the overall counts.

What is the Information Commissioner’s Office’s position on AI-written FOI requests?

According to the Sky News report, the ICO says AI-written requests remain valid. Public authorities do not need to identify whether AI was used, but may ask for clarification when a request is unclear.

What changes could make public services cope?

Tom Loosemore has advocated using structured data instead of relying on long written submissions. The report does not describe this as an adopted government policy or set out a timetable for change.

Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com