🔍 Read the full analysis: How AI Is Reshaping Paperwork Across Britain’s Bureaucracy on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
A Sky News investigation published on October 20, 2026, reports rising written complaints, FOI requests and employment tribunal claims across Britain since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The figures show growth across multiple channels, but do not establish that AI caused it; many submissions may reflect people pursuing valid claims. Officials and digital-government specialists say services built around written applications may need to change.
Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe reported increases across nine complaint channels and tribunal claims, using data reviewed by the broadcaster. Household complaints about water companies rose 144%; complaints to English local authorities rose 78%; written complaints to GP practices rose 71%; and complaints to the Department for Work and Pensions rose 64%. Individual employment tribunal claims increased 62% over the period examined.
The report also recorded increases in complaints about legal services (49%), written complaints to the NHS (35%), complaints about police forces (34%) and complaints about public services (23%). Each channel has its own possible causes. The report notes that water companies, for example, have faced difficult years. The repeated pattern across different services is a rise after a long period when volumes were comparatively flat, but the figures alone cannot identify why it happened.
Manthorpe tested 100 recent FOI requests with an AI-text detector. It labelled 89% as fully AI-written and 9% as human; a smaller sample from 2019 was labelled entirely human. Sky News cautioned that detectors are unreliable and that this test does not prove AI produced the broader increase. Separately, an academic survey cited in the report found 58% of surveyed civil servants said AI-generated content from the public significantly affected 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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Pressure on services built around writing
The increase matters because many routes to public services depend on people explaining a problem in writing: filing a complaint, asking for information or challenging a decision. Generative AI can make that work faster and easier, potentially increasing the number of people able to pursue a claim. At the same time, more submissions can mean more work for staff who must read, clarify and respond to them.
That workload should not automatically be treated as evidence of abuse. Sky News reported that the share of DWP complaints upheld has fallen from the 50% range to close to 40%. Even so, the report says the larger volume means the absolute number of upheld complaints is higher than before. The figures suggest that a substantial share of complaints still identify problems, though they do not settle how many are justified across every service.
The policy choice is consequential: authorities can add barriers to submissions or redesign processes so they rely less on long written accounts. Restricting AI-assisted writing could also make it harder for people who have a valid concern but struggle to present it formally. Conversely, if public bodies cannot handle higher volumes, delays and backlogs may grow.
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The rise since ChatGPT arrived
The report describes a broad shift beginning after ChatGPT launched in November 2022. Its analysis covers different bodies and procedures rather than a single national complaints system. The percentages refer to each channel’s reported growth over the period since launch; they do not mean that all channels grew at the same rate or that AI is the sole explanation.
Related increases have been reported elsewhere. A paper by researcher Chris Schmitz, covered by TechCrunch in September, documented 84 possible cases of what Schmitz calls “agentic flooding” across 11 jurisdictions. The cases were mostly roughly flat before 2022 and rose afterward, according to that account. The UK Housing Ombudsman received about 2,600 complaints in 2022 and just over 7,000 last year; the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau saw complaints grow fivefold. These are separate examples, not proof that the same causes drove each increase.
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 regulator said an AI-written request remains valid, authorities need not establish who or what wrote it, and they can seek clarification when a request is poorly formed.
““It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.””
— Civil servants surveyed in research cited by Sky News
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Cause, scale and service impact
The reported figures show increases, not proof that AI caused them. Changes in service quality, public awareness, eligibility, backlogs or other factors may also affect complaint and claim volumes. The report does not provide a single causal analysis that separates these influences across all nine channels.
The FOI detector test is also limited: AI classifiers can misidentify writing, and a sample of 100 recent requests cannot establish authorship across all requests. The 58% survey finding records civil servants’ reported experience, not a count of submissions verified as AI-generated. It is unclear how much staff time the new volume consumes, how many submissions are automated, or whether the trends will continue at the same pace.
Nor does the evidence show that all increased claims are valid. The DWP uphold rate cited by Sky News is one measure within one department; it cannot be applied to every complaint system. The balance between legitimate access and administrative burden will vary by service.
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From drafted letters to automated claims
The next pressure point may be AI agents that submit requests or claims on a person’s behalf, rather than simply helping draft a letter. Manthorpe’s report demonstrated an agent service from Meta and raised the possibility of large numbers of parking appeals or rail delay-compensation claims being filed with little effort. The report does not establish how widely such tools are currently being used for these purposes.
Loosemore has argued for replacing essay-style applications with systems based on structured data, so people provide relevant information through clearer forms and public bodies can process it consistently. He warned that adding friction could prompt an arms race as technology companies find ways around new barriers. He also said he could not see the current way UK benefits are run surviving without fundamental changes.
For now, the ICO’s guidance sets out how authorities should handle AI-written FOI requests: treat them as valid and seek clarification where needed. The next developments to watch are whether public bodies change their application and complaint processes, and whether future data can distinguish AI-assisted submissions from other causes of rising demand. No timetable for a broader redesign is provided in the report.
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Key Questions
What has increased across British public services?
A Sky News report published on October 20, 2026, found increases in several written complaint channels, FOI activity and individual employment tribunal claims since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. Reported growth ranged from 23% for complaints about public services to 144% for household complaints about water companies.
Does the report prove AI caused the increase?
No. The figures show that volumes rose after ChatGPT’s launch, but they do not establish that AI caused the rise. The report notes that services have different circumstances and says AI-text detectors are unreliable.
Are AI-written FOI requests valid in the UK?
The Information Commissioner’s Office said in guidance published in May that AI-written FOI requests remain valid. Authorities do not need to determine whether a person or an AI wrote a request, but may ask for clarification if it is badly formed.
Are the additional complaints mostly baseless?
The available evidence does not support treating all of them as baseless. Sky News reported that the DWP’s complaint-uphold share fell from the 50% range to close to 40%, while the larger volume means the number upheld is higher. That measure applies to the department, not every complaints system.
What changes could public bodies make?
Tom Loosemore has called for services to rely more on structured data and less on lengthy written applications. The report does not give a government-wide implementation plan or timetable.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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