🔍 Read the full analysis: AI And The Rising Paperwork Load In Britain’s Bureaucracy on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
TL;DR
A Sky News report published October 20, 2026, documents rising complaints, FOI requests and employment tribunal claims across British public services since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The report says AI may be making it easier to submit claims, many of which appear to reflect genuine need; the scale of AI’s role is not proven, and public agencies face pressure to change how they handle applications.
A Sky News report published October 20 found that complaints, Freedom of Information requests and employment tribunal claims have risen across several British public-service channels since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The report links the pattern to the lower effort of producing formal written submissions with AI, while stressing that the trend does not prove AI caused the increases and that many claims appear to reflect genuine need.
Using data reviewed by Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe, the report describes a similar broad pattern across channels: activity was relatively flat for years, began rising after late 2022 and then accelerated. Reported increases since ChatGPT’s launch include 144% for household complaints about water companies, 78% for complaints to English local authorities and 71% for written complaints to GP practices. The report also lists increases in complaints to the Department for Work and Pensions, NHS and police, as well as individual employment tribunal claims.
Those figures cover different organisations and complaint types, each with its own possible causes. The report notes, for example, that water companies have faced difficult years. It presents the repeated timing and shape of the rises as evidence consistent with AI lowering the effort required to write submissions—not as proof that AI alone drove the increase.
Manthorpe tested 100 recent FOI requests with an AI-text detector. The tool labelled 89% fully AI-written and 9% human; a smaller sample of requests from 2019 was labelled entirely human. He cautioned that detectors are unreliable and the test cannot establish causation. Separately, an academic survey cited by Sky News found 58% of surveyed civil servants said AI-generated public submissions had a significant effect on 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).
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More Claims Reach Public Agencies
The rise matters both to people seeking redress and to the staff who must process submissions. If AI makes formal letters easier to draft, people who previously lacked the confidence or time to complain may be more able to pursue a valid claim. At the same time, higher volumes and more complicated or poorly framed requests can add work for public bodies and slow responses to everyone.
The report cautions against treating every additional submission as spam. At the DWP, the share of complaints upheld has reportedly fallen from the 50s to close to 40%, but that remains a substantial share. Because the total number of complaints has grown, the number upheld may still be higher in absolute terms than before; the report does not give the exact totals needed to quantify that change.
That distinction affects policy choices. Adding fees or hurdles could reduce the workload, but it could also deter people with legitimate complaints. The central issue is whether services designed around lengthy written explanations can handle more submissions without restricting access to remedies.
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A Paper-Based System Meets AI
The report situates the increases in a system where many public services rely on people writing applications, appeals and complaints. AI chatbots can help draft that text, but the analysis describes most current use as people moving content between a chatbot and a form or letter. It also cites a paper by researcher Chris Schmitz, reported by TechCrunch in September, which documents 84 possible cases of what Schmitz calls “agentic flooding” across 11 jurisdictions. Those cases also mostly rose after 2022, according to the source material.
British regulators have begun responding to AI-written requests. In May, the Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance after public authorities reported more FOI requests, including complex submissions that misquoted legislation or needed clarification. The ICO said such requests remain valid, authorities do not need to determine whether AI wrote them, and they may seek clarification when a request is unclear.
The Financial Ombudsman Service has taken a different approach, finding about a third of its complaints were AI-generated and starting to charge some professional representatives to bring complaints. The number of complaints fell, according to the report. That example shows that restrictions can affect volume, but does not by itself establish whether they reduce unjustified claims or block valid ones.
““It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.””
— Civil servants quoted in an academic survey cited by Sky News
AI’s Role Is Not Proven
The data described by Sky News show increases that began after ChatGPT’s launch, but timing alone cannot establish that AI caused them. Service-specific changes, public awareness, administrative backlogs and other factors may also affect complaint numbers. The report provides percentage increases across channels but does not establish a common cause for each one.
The AI-detector test is also limited: such tools can misclassify text, and the sample of 100 recent FOI requests does not represent every request or public body. The reported survey finding that 58% of civil servants experienced a significant effect measures staff perceptions, not the share of all submissions written with AI. It remains unclear how much of the total rise is due to AI drafting, how many additional claims are upheld, and how agencies will adapt.
Services Face an Automation Test
The next pressure point may be AI agents that submit requests or claims, rather than simply drafting them. Manthorpe demonstrated an agent service from Meta in the Sky News report. If tools can file appeals or compensation claims automatically, agencies may face much higher volumes, though the report does not specify when such use will become widespread.
Loosemore argues for replacing essay-based processes with services built around structured data, where applicants provide the information needed in a consistent format. He warned that adding friction would invite technology companies to find ways around it and said he could not see the current UK benefits system surviving without fundamental changes. Those are his assessments, not confirmed government plans.
No specific policy change or implementation timetable is established in the report. Public bodies will continue to process valid requests under existing rules while the effects of AI-generated submissions develop. The immediate test is whether agencies can respond to more written claims while preserving access for people with legitimate cases.
Key Questions
What did the Sky News report find?
It found that written complaints, FOI requests and individual employment tribunal claims rose across several British public-service channels after ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The report says the similar timing is consistent with AI making submissions easier, but does not prove AI caused the increases.
Which types of complaints rose most?
The report lists a 144% increase in household complaints about water companies, followed by 78% for English local authorities and 71% for written complaints to GP practices. These are reported increases since ChatGPT’s launch, across distinct channels with different circumstances.
Are AI-written FOI requests valid?
According to guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office in May, AI-written requests remain valid. Authorities do not need to identify whether AI produced them, though they can ask for clarification if a request is unclear.
Does the report show that most new complaints are false?
No. The report says many claims appear to reflect genuine need and cites researcher Chris Schmitz’s view that most cases he identified involved people claiming something they were entitled to. It does not establish the validity of every complaint or quantify the full number of additional justified claims.
What changes are being proposed?
The report does not identify a confirmed government plan or timetable. Tom Loosemore advocates designing services around structured data rather than lengthy written essays; that is his recommendation, not an announced policy.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
