🔍 Read the full analysis: Britain’s Bureaucracy Struggles With AI’s Paperwork Flood on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
Get the latest gadgets delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
TL;DR
A Sky News report published October 20 says complaints, freedom of information requests and tribunal claims rose across several UK public services after ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The figures show a broad pattern, but do not prove AI caused the increases; evidence cited in the report suggests many complaints are legitimate, leaving government to address rising workloads without blocking access.
Written complaints and claims to several 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, health services and employment tribunals, putting more paperwork before public institutions; the data show a shared trend but do not establish that AI caused it.
Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe reported increases across nine channels. The largest listed rise was 144% in household complaints about water companies, followed by 78% in complaints to English local authorities and 71% in written complaints to GP practices. DWP complaints rose 64%, while individual employment tribunal claims increased 62%. The report describes each figure as growth since ChatGPT launched; it does not provide the underlying counts or a more precise measurement window in the supplied material.
Other increases in the report include 49% for complaints about legal services, 35% for written complaints to the NHS, 34% for complaints to police forces and 23% for complaints about public services. Sky News says the pattern across channels was broadly flat for years before rising from late 2022 and accelerating. Each service has its own possible drivers, including problems specific to particular sectors, so the timing alone cannot establish a cause.
Manthorpe also tested 100 recent freedom of information requests with an AI-text checker. The tool classified 89% as fully AI-written and 9% as human; a smaller sample from 2019 was classified as entirely human. He cautioned that AI detectors are unreliable and that the test does not prove AI caused the rise. A survey of civil servants cited by Sky News found 58% said public AI-generated content significantly affects their work.
Infographic 01 · The paperwork curve
Flat for a decade. Then ChatGPT made paperwork cheap.
Across almost every channel where people write to the British state, volume has risen since November 2022. Much of it is justified.
Growth since ChatGPT launched
Change per channel since November 2022, as measured by Sky News. Bar length on a 0–150% scale.
Each channel has its own causes. The repeated shape, flat then accelerating from late 2022, is the signal.
Not just Britain
Other measurements of the same trend.
- UK Housing Ombudsman: about 2,600 complaints in 2022, just over 7,000 last year (TechCrunch).
- US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: complaints up fivefold over the same period.
- 84 cases in 11 jurisdictions of possible “agentic flooding”, most flat before 2022 (Chris Schmitz).
- ICO guidance, May 2026: AI-written FOI requests are valid; authorities may ask for clarification.
Schmitz: “The vast majority of cases we find are people who are entitled to claim for something, claiming for that thing.”
Sources: Sky News, Why AI could break Britain’s bureaucracy (20 Oct 2026); TechCrunch (10 Sep 2026); ICO (May 2026).
Powered by Thorsten Meyer AI
More Claims Test Public-Service Capacity
The increase matters because much of the British state processes requests through letters, forms and written explanations. If AI makes those submissions quicker and easier to produce, agencies may face more correspondence and more complex requests without a matching increase in staff or processing capacity. The reported survey suggests the added work is already affecting some civil servants.
But a larger inbox does not automatically mean a flood of false claims. Sky News reported that the share of DWP complaints upheld has fallen from the 50% range to around 40%. That is a lower proportion, but a much larger volume can still mean a higher number of complaints upheld in total. Researcher Chris Schmitz, whose work on possible cases of “agentic flooding” was reported by TechCrunch in September, said most cases he examined involved people entitled to claim. The distinction matters: measures that reduce paperwork may also make it harder for people with valid complaints to seek redress.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Chatbot Drafts to Automated Claims
The report places the UK trend alongside 84 possible cases across 11 jurisdictions documented in research by Chris Schmitz, as reported by TechCrunch in September. The source material says many cases were roughly flat before 2022 and rose afterward. It also cites the UK Housing Ombudsman, whose complaints increased from about 2,600 in 2022 to just over 7,000 last year, and the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where complaints reportedly grew fivefold. These examples provide comparisons, but do not by themselves show that AI explains the changes.
In May, the Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance after public authorities reported higher volumes of AI-generated freedom of information requests, including requests that misquoted legislation or needed clarification. The ICO’s position, as described by Sky News, is that an AI-written request remains valid. Authorities do not need to determine who or what wrote it, but may ask for clarification if it is unclear.
Most current submissions are described as people using chatbots to draft text. The report also points to AI agents that can take actions for users, rather than only writing letters. That could make filing routine appeals or compensation claims easier, though the report does not establish how widely such agent-led submissions are currently being used.
““It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.””
— Civil servants quoted in the academic survey cited by Sky News
digital complaint management system
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Cause and Scale Still Unsettled
The figures show increases over a period that began around ChatGPT’s launch, but they do not prove a causal link. The supplied account gives percentage changes without underlying counts for most channels, and it does not set out a consistent method for comparing each service. Local conditions, service performance and policy changes may also affect complaint volumes.
The AI-detector exercise is limited: detector results are not reliable proof of authorship, and the 2019 comparison sample was smaller than the recent set of 100 requests. The source material also does not give details of the civil-service survey’s sample size or methodology. It remains unclear how much of the increase reflects AI-assisted writing, easier access to complaint processes, changing service problems or other factors.
It is also too early to know how much automated agents will add to the workload. The report raises the prospect of routine appeals and claims being filed at scale, but does not provide adoption figures or evidence that agent-led submissions have already produced a measurable increase.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Redesigning Forms, Not Blocking Access
The policy choice described in the report is whether to add friction to submissions or redesign services to handle them. The Financial Ombudsman Service reportedly began charging some professional representatives to bring complaints after finding that about a third were AI-generated; complaint numbers fell. That example shows that restrictions can reduce volume, but does not establish whether the change filtered out weak cases or deterred valid ones.
Loosemore argues for services based on structured data rather than essays, so people can provide the information agencies need without producing long written applications. He warned that adding barriers could prompt technology providers to find ways around them. The supplied source does not describe a government decision to adopt his proposal or set out a timetable for reform.
For now, the ICO guidance gives public bodies a way to handle unclear AI-assisted freedom of information requests while recognizing them as valid. Further evidence will be needed to track complaint volumes, outcomes and agent use, and to determine which service changes reduce avoidable work without limiting people’s access to legitimate claims.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did the Sky News report find?
It reported increases in complaints, information requests and tribunal claims across several UK channels since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The figures vary by service, and the report does not establish that AI caused the increases.
Does the report prove AI caused the rise?
No. The timing and pattern are consistent with greater use of AI-assisted writing, but they do not prove causation. Other factors, including changes in service quality and public demand, may contribute.
Are AI-written freedom of information requests valid?
According to ICO guidance described by Sky News, AI-written requests remain valid. Public authorities do not need to identify who or what wrote them, though they can ask for clarification when a request is unclear.
Are the additional complaints mostly false?
The report does not support treating the increase as mainly false demand. It cites research by Chris Schmitz saying most cases he examined involved people entitled to make a claim, while also reporting that the share of DWP complaints upheld has declined.
What changes are being proposed?
Tom Loosemore has argued for structured digital processes instead of essay-style applications. The source material does not report a formal government plan or implementation date.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
