How AI Is Adding Paperwork To Britain’s Bureaucracy

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A Sky News report published October 20 has documented rising written complaints, Freedom of Information requests and employment tribunal claims across UK public services since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The report argues that AI tools make it easier to prepare formal submissions, increasing pressure on institutions whose processes often depend on people writing applications, complaints and appeals.

Figures examined by Sky News show increases across nine types of written contact with public bodies and services. Household complaints about water companies rose 144% over the period measured, while complaints about English local authorities rose 78%. Written complaints to GP practices increased 71%, and complaints to the Department for Work and Pensions rose 64%. Individual employment tribunal claims increased 62%.

The report also lists increases in 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 reported changes since ChatGPT’s launch; the figures alone do not establish that AI caused the increases. Each channel may have its own contributing factors, including the problems people are complaining about.

To examine whether AI was being used to write requests, technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe ran 100 recent FOI requests through an AI-text checker. It labelled 89% as fully AI-written and 9% as human. A smaller sample of requests from 2019 was labelled entirely human. Manthorpe cautioned that AI detectors are unreliable and said the test does not prove AI caused the wider rise.

More Claims, More Pressure on Services

The increase matters because many public services process requests through letters, forms and written explanations. If AI makes those submissions quicker to produce, staff may face more correspondence and more complicated cases to review. A survey of civil servants cited by Sky News found that 58% said AI-generated content from the public significantly affects their work.

Higher volume does not automatically mean that more people are making frivolous claims. Sky News reported that the share of DWP complaints upheld had fallen from levels in the 50% range to close to 40%. That is a lower proportion, but because the overall volume has grown, it does not by itself show that the number of upheld complaints has fallen. Researcher Chris Schmitz, whose work on what he calls “agentic flooding” was reported by TechCrunch, said most cases he examined involved people claiming something to which they were entitled.

That distinction shapes the policy challenge: limiting submissions could reduce administrative pressure, but could also make it harder for people to seek remedies they qualify for. Public bodies must handle increased demand while distinguishing valid claims from poorly formed or unsupported ones.

From Chatbots to Automated Claims

The report describes a similar pattern across several channels: activity that had been broadly flat rose gradually from late 2022 and accelerated later. The timing aligns with the public launch of ChatGPT, but timing alone cannot establish cause. Water companies, for example, have faced their own difficulties, which may help explain complaint levels in that sector.

In May, the Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance after public authorities reported higher volumes of FOI requests and more complex submissions. It said AI-written requests remain valid, authorities do not need to determine whether a person or AI wrote them, and they may seek clarification if a request is unclear or badly formed.

The report also points to the possible next stage: AI agents that can submit requests or claims, rather than merely draft text for a person to send. It cites the UK Housing Ombudsman’s increase from about 2,600 complaints in 2022 to just over 7,000 last year, and a fivefold rise in complaints to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Those examples form part of Schmitz’s analysis of possible automated mass submissions across 11 jurisdictions; they do not establish that every increase was caused by AI.

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

— Civil servants surveyed in research cited by Sky News

AI’s Role Is Not Proven

The reported increases do not establish how much AI contributed. The AI-checker exercise covered only 100 recent FOI requests, and the report notes that detection tools can misclassify text. Its older comparison sample was smaller, and neither sample can establish the authorship of requests across the wider system.

It is also unclear how much of the growth reflects previously unmet demand, worsening service problems, changes in how complaints are counted, or other factors. The reported figures do not provide a single shared baseline or explanation for every channel. Future use of agents could add to the volume, but the scale and effects of that shift remain uncertain.

Redesigning Forms and Decisions

The immediate response from authorities is likely to involve applying existing rules to higher volumes and seeking clarification when requests are unclear. The ICO’s guidance already says that an AI-written FOI request should be treated as a valid request, rather than rejected because of how it was prepared.

Loosemore argues that government should replace essay-style applications with services based more on structured data, rather than adding barriers for people who use AI to write. That approach would require changes to how agencies collect information and assess claims. The report does not set out a government timetable or a confirmed programme for such changes. The next test will be whether public bodies can process increased demand without excluding people who have valid complaints or claims.

Key Questions

What did the Sky News report find?

It found that written complaints, FOI requests and individual employment tribunal claims increased across several channels after ChatGPT launched. For example, it reported a 144% increase in household water-company complaints over the period measured.

Does the report prove AI caused the increases?

No. The report describes a timing pattern and an AI-checker test, but says AI detectors are unreliable and the test does not prove causation. Other factors may affect each type of complaint or claim.

Are AI-written FOI requests valid?

The Information Commissioner’s Office guidance says AI-written requests remain valid. Public authorities do not need to establish who or what wrote them, and may ask for clarification if a request is unclear.

Are the new complaints mostly frivolous?

The evidence cited in the report does not support treating all increased volume as frivolous. Researcher Chris Schmitz said most cases in his analysis involved people claiming something they were entitled to, though the figures do not settle the status of every submission.

What could government change?

Tom Loosemore argues for services that rely more on structured information and less on essays. No specific government plan or timetable for that redesign is confirmed in the report.

Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com