How To Understand AI’s Growing Paperwork Burden In Britain

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Written complaints and claims to multiple UK public bodies have risen since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, according to a Sky News report published October 20. The increases span water companies, councils, GP practices, the Department for Work and Pensions and employment tribunals, prompting concern that public services built around written applications may struggle with higher volumes. The figures show a broad pattern, but do not establish that AI caused it.

Data examined by Sky News show increases across nine categories of written complaints and claims. Household complaints about water companies rose 144%; complaints about English local authorities rose 78%; and written complaints to GP practices increased 71%. DWP complaints rose 64%, while individual employment tribunal claims increased 62%. These are reported changes since ChatGPT’s launch; the supplied report does not specify a uniform end date or explain every category’s measurement method.

Other channels also rose: complaints about legal services increased 49%, written complaints to the NHS 35%, complaints about police forces 34%, and complaints about public services 23%. Sky News describes a similar trajectory across otherwise unrelated channels: relatively little movement for years, followed by increases from late 2022. Each service has its own circumstances, and the report notes that water companies, for example, have faced difficult years.

Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe also tested 100 recent Freedom of Information requests with an AI-text checker. The tool labelled 89% as fully AI-written and 9% as human; a smaller 2019 sample was labelled entirely human. Manthorpe cautioned that the test was not conclusive: AI detectors can be unreliable, and the results do not show that AI generated the wider increase in requests.

Pressure on complaint-handling services

The reported increases matter because many public services depend on people submitting written requests, appeals or complaints—and then on staff having time to assess them. In a survey of civil servants cited by Sky News, 58% said AI-generated public content significantly affects their work. Some respondents described being bombarded with correspondence and said handling it could be exhausting or anxiety-inducing.

Higher volumes can mean longer waits or greater demands on staff, even when submissions are valid. But treating the increase simply as a surge of abuse risks overlooking people who previously lacked the time, confidence or writing skills to challenge a decision. Sky News reports that the share of DWP complaints upheld has fallen from the 50% range to close to 40%. That is a lower proportion, not evidence that most complaints are baseless; with a much larger total, the number of upheld complaints may still be higher.

The policy choice is consequential: authorities can add barriers to submissions, or redesign processes to cope with more participation. The report presents the latter as a potential response, not a settled government plan.

From chatbots to automated claims

In May, the Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance on AI-generated FOI requests after public authorities reported higher volumes and more complex submissions. The ICO said an AI-written request remains a valid request. Authorities do not need to determine whether a person or an AI system wrote it, though they may seek clarification when a request is unclear or poorly formed.

The issue may grow as tools move beyond drafting. Manthorpe’s report demonstrates an AI agent service that can take actions on a user’s behalf. Such tools could make it easier to submit routine appeals or claims at scale, including parking appeals or rail delay-compensation requests. The report cites researcher Chris Schmitz’s paper, which describes 84 possible cases of “agentic flooding” across 11 jurisdictions. It also reports that the UK Housing Ombudsman received about 2,600 complaints in 2022 and just over 7,000 last year. These examples suggest the trend extends beyond Britain, but do not by themselves establish the cause of each increase.

Tom Loosemore, who founded the Government Digital Service and set up GOV.UK, argues that services should rely more on structured information rather than written essays. He warns that benefits systems reliant on lengthy written applications could be particularly vulnerable to a rapid rise in submissions.

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

— Civil servants surveyed in research cited by Sky News

Cause and scale remain uncertain

The reported timing and spread of the increases are consistent with AI lowering the effort involved in writing formal submissions, but they do not prove causation. The available figures cover services with different pressures and circumstances, and the source material does not provide a common measurement window or detailed methodology for every category.

The text-checker test is also limited: an AI detector’s classification cannot reliably establish authorship, especially for individual requests, and the sample of 100 recent FOI submissions does not settle what drove the trend overall. The civil-servant survey records reported effects, but the supplied account does not give its sample size or full methodology.

It remains unclear how much of the additional activity consists of valid claims, how much staff time it requires, and whether public bodies will change their systems. The source provides no confirmed UK-wide policy response.

Public bodies face a design choice

The next issue for UK authorities is how to process increased written demand without blocking people who have a legitimate complaint or claim. The ICO’s existing guidance allows authorities to seek clarification when requests are unclear, while affirming that AI authorship is not a reason on its own to reject an FOI request.

Loosemore’s proposed direction is to replace essay-heavy processes with services that gather structured information. The source report does not describe a government commitment, timetable or specific programme to do this. Public bodies’ responses—and further data showing whether the increases continue—will help clarify whether the current systems can adapt or require broader redesign.

Key Questions

What is the reported increase in UK complaints?

Sky News reports increases since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, including 144% for household complaints about water companies, 78% for complaints about English local authorities and 71% for written complaints to GP practices. The report lists changes across nine categories.

Does the report prove ChatGPT caused the rise?

No. The timing and pattern may be consistent with AI making formal submissions easier, but the figures do not establish cause. The report also identifies other possible pressures and cautions that AI-text detectors are unreliable.

Are AI-written Freedom of Information requests valid?

The Information Commissioner’s Office says an AI-written request remains valid. Authorities do not have to identify whether a person or AI wrote it, though they can ask for clarification if the request is unclear.

Are the additional complaints mostly false?

The report does not show that they are. It says the share of DWP complaints upheld has fallen to close to 40%, but that is not the same as showing the complaints are mostly false. Researcher Chris Schmitz says most cases in his study involve people claiming something to which they are entitled.

What changes to public services are being proposed?

Tom Loosemore argues for systems that collect structured information rather than relying on long written submissions. The source report does not identify a confirmed government plan or timetable for such a change.

Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com