🔍 Read the full analysis: What’s Driving The AI Paperwork Flood In Britain? on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
A Sky News report published October 20, 2026, found rising written complaints and claims across several British public services since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The report argues AI is lowering the effort needed to submit claims, but its data does not prove AI caused the increases or that submissions are mostly generated by AI.
A Sky News report published October 20 documents rising complaints, Freedom of Information requests and employment tribunal claims across Britain since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The report links the pattern to the lower effort of using AI to draft written submissions, but says the available figures do not establish that AI caused the increases—and argues many complaints may reflect genuine unmet needs.
Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe compared changes across several channels where people write to public bodies or make claims. The report lists increases since ChatGPT’s launch of 144% for household complaints about water companies, 78% for complaints to English local authorities, 71% for written complaints to GP practices and 64% for complaints to the Department for Work and Pensions. Individual employment tribunal claims rose 62%, according to the figures presented.
Other reported increases include 49% for complaints about legal services, 35% for written complaints to the NHS, 34% for complaints about police forces and 23% for complaints about public services. These are changes over the period described by Sky News; the source material does not supply a common starting count or a detailed measurement method for every channel. Each service also has its own possible reasons for rising complaints. The report’s central observation is that increases appear across otherwise unrelated services, after years in which FOI request numbers had changed little.
Manthorpe also tested 100 recent FOI requests with an AI-text detector. It labelled 89% as fully AI-written and 9% as human-written; a smaller sample of requests from 2019 was labelled entirely human. Sky News cautioned that AI detectors are unreliable and that this small test cannot show AI caused the broader rise. Separately, an academic survey cited by the report found 58% of surveyed civil servants said AI-generated material from the public had a significant impact 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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How AI Changes Public-Service Work
The issue matters because many British services still depend on people explaining a problem in writing. Chatbots can make that step quicker and easier, potentially bringing forward complaints or claims that people previously lacked the time, confidence or writing ability to submit. A higher volume can also add to the workload for staff who must read, check and answer each case.
The evidence in the report cautions against treating the volume as spam by default. At the DWP, the share of complaints upheld has fallen from the 50% range to close to 40%, Sky News reported. That is a lower proportion, but the report notes that a smaller share of a much larger total could still represent more upheld complaints in absolute terms. Researcher Chris Schmitz, whose work on possible cases of “agentic flooding” was reported by TechCrunch in September, likewise said most cases involved people claiming something they were entitled to claim.
That distinction has practical consequences. Adding fees or hurdles may reduce submissions, but could also deter people with valid complaints. On the other hand, a rapid increase in poorly formed or complex requests can strain public bodies. The challenge for government is to respond to both realities: maintain access to remedies while handling higher volumes effectively.
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From Chatbots to Automated Claims
The increase described by Sky News follows the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022. The report says the pattern appears in several kinds of written contact, from water-company complaints to tribunal claims, while emphasizing that individual causes vary. Water companies, for example, have faced difficult conditions in recent years, so timing alone cannot show that AI explains their complaint totals.
The pressure is also reported outside Britain. Schmitz’s research identified 84 possible cases across 11 jurisdictions, with many showing rising volumes after 2022. The UK Housing Ombudsman received about 2,600 complaints in 2022 and just over 7,000 the following year, according to the source material. It also reports that complaints to the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau grew fivefold. These comparisons suggest the issue is not limited to British institutions, but they do not establish a single cause for each increase.
In May, the Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance after public authorities reported higher volumes of AI-generated FOI requests, some more complex or in need of clarification. The ICO said AI-written requests remain valid: authorities do not need to identify whether AI wrote them and may seek clarification when a request is unclear. Manthorpe also highlights the prospect of AI agents that could submit claims or appeals automatically, rather than merely help a person draft a letter.
“It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.”
— Civil servants surveyed in an academic study cited by Sky News
What the Complaint Data Cannot Show
The reported increases do not, on their own, prove that AI is responsible. The source material does not provide a unified measure of AI use across all complaint channels, and other factors—including changes in service quality, awareness, policy or access to advice—may affect volumes. The detector test covered only 100 recent FOI requests, used a tool known to be unreliable, and cannot establish authorship with certainty.
It is also unclear how many additional submissions are valid, how many are duplicates or poorly formed, and how much extra work they create for each public body. The 58% survey figure concerns surveyed civil servants’ assessment of impact; it is not a measure of the share of all government correspondence written by AI. The scale and likely effects of automated agents filing claims at speed remain uncertain as well.
Whether Services Move Beyond Essays
The immediate question for public bodies is how to respond without making legitimate complaints harder to raise. The ICO’s May guidance sets out that AI authorship does not invalidate an FOI request and that clarification can be sought when its wording is unclear. The source material does not identify a single new national policy or deadline for handling the wider increase in complaints.
Loosemore’s proposed direction is to replace essay-style applications with services based more on structured data, where people provide relevant information through clearer processes. That would require public bodies to redesign how people apply, complain and appeal—not simply add barriers to existing forms. As AI tools develop from drafting assistance into agents capable of submitting material, government services will face further pressure to show how they can manage volume while preserving access. The timing and details of any such changes have not been announced in the source material.
Key Questions
What is driving the rise in written complaints?
The Sky News report says AI tools can make drafting complaints and requests easier, and it identifies increases across several channels since ChatGPT launched. It does not prove AI caused those increases; other factors may affect each service.
Does the report show most complaints are written by AI?
No. A test of 100 recent FOI requests found that an AI detector labelled 89% fully AI-written, but the report warns that detectors are unreliable and the sample cannot establish the origin of all complaints or requests.
Are AI-written FOI requests valid in Britain?
The Information Commissioner’s Office said in May that AI-written requests remain valid. Public authorities do not need to determine whether AI drafted a request, and they can ask for clarification when it is unclear.
Are rising complaints necessarily abusive or false?
No. The report cites researcher Chris Schmitz saying most cases in his research involved people claiming something they were entitled to claim. The available information does not establish the validity of every complaint.
What response is being proposed?
Tom Loosemore argues for services that collect structured information instead of relying on lengthy written accounts. The source material does not report a confirmed government plan or timetable for such a redesign.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
