🔍 Read the full analysis: The Paperwork Fallout Of AI In Britain on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
A Sky News report published October 20, 2026, describes rising written complaints, information requests and tribunal claims across UK public services since ChatGPT launched. The timing does not prove AI caused the increases, but a civil-service survey found 58% of respondents said AI-generated public submissions significantly affect their work. Evidence cited in the report suggests many claims still concern legitimate needs.
A Sky News report published October 20 says written complaints, Freedom of Information requests and employment tribunal claims have risen across several UK public-service channels since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The figures point to a growing administrative workload for public bodies, but the report cautions that timing and AI-text checks do not establish that AI caused the increases.
Technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe examined data across complaints to water companies, local authorities, GP practices, the Department for Work and Pensions, police and other services, as well as individual employment tribunal claims. The report says the trends were largely flat for years before beginning to rise around late 2022, with increases across the listed channels ranging from 23% to 144% since ChatGPT launched. Each figure refers to a different channel; the report notes that the services have their own reasons for changes in complaint numbers.
In a small test, Manthorpe submitted 100 recent FOI requests to an AI-text checker. It labelled 89% fully AI-written and 9% human. A smaller sample of requests from 2019 was labelled entirely human. Manthorpe said the test was not conclusive: AI detectors are unreliable, and the exercise cannot show that AI produced the wider increase in requests.
A survey of civil servants cited by Sky News found that 58% said AI-generated content from the public significantly affects their work. The report also cites an increase in complaints to the UK Housing Ombudsman, from about 2,600 in 2022 to just over 7,000 last year. These figures describe different institutions and time periods, and do not by themselves establish why volumes rose.
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 Public-Service Inboxes
More written submissions can add to the time public officials spend reading, clarifying and answering correspondence. Sky News quotes civil servants describing the workload as fast-moving and exhausting, and reports that some AI-generated requests misquote legislation or need clarification. The Information Commissioner’s Office said public authorities had reported higher volumes and more complex FOI requests.
The increase also raises a question about access. If AI makes it easier to draft an appeal or complaint, more people may be able to pursue a service or benefit they believe they are entitled to. Sky News reports that the share of DWP complaints upheld has declined from somewhere in the 50s to close to 40%. Even with a lower success rate, a larger overall volume could mean more complaints are upheld in absolute numbers, though the report does not provide a precise count.
That distinction matters for policy. Treating all additional submissions as spam could block people with valid claims; processing every submission through systems designed for lower volumes could overwhelm staff. The report presents this as a challenge for how government services are designed, not simply a question of whether to accept AI-written text.
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From ChatGPT Drafts to Agents
The reported rise follows the November 2022 launch of ChatGPT, but the source does not claim that launch alone explains changes across unrelated services. Water-company complaints, for example, may also reflect problems in the sector. The comparison is a broad pattern over time, not proof of a single cause. A separate paper by researcher Chris Schmitz, reported by TechCrunch in September, describes 84 possible cases of what Schmitz calls “agentic flooding” across 11 jurisdictions. The source says many cases climbed after 2022, while that label and the cases remain Schmitz’s analysis.
The Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance in May on AI-generated FOI requests. Its position, as described by Sky News, is that AI-written requests remain valid; public authorities do not need to determine who or what wrote them, and may seek clarification when a request is poorly formed.
Today’s submissions often involve people using chatbots to draft text. The report also shows an AI agent that can act for a user, rather than only prepare a letter. Automated appeals or claims could further increase volumes, but the scale and timing of any such change are not established in the source material.
“It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.”
— Civil servant quoted in the Sky News report
What the Figures Cannot Prove
The reported increases show a pattern across several channels, but the source material does not establish how much of each rise is attributable to AI. Other changes in service quality, public awareness, rules or access may also affect complaint and claim volumes. The checker results are limited to a small sample and rely on tools that Manthorpe says are unreliable.
Nor does the report provide a complete breakdown of how many new submissions are AI-assisted, fully AI-generated, upheld or invalid across all the services listed. The civil-servant survey measures reported impact, not the number of submissions or hours spent processing them. The extent to which AI agents will increase the volume of filings remains uncertain.
Redesigning Claims and Applications
The immediate response described by Sky News includes applying existing FOI guidance: authorities can request clarification but should not reject a request simply because AI may have helped write it. The larger policy choice is whether services add barriers to submissions or change how people provide information.
Loosemore favors structured data instead of essays, arguing that government should redesign services around information people need to supply rather than rely on lengthy written accounts. The source material does not identify a government plan, timetable or agreed reforms. Further reporting would be needed to establish whether departments will change complaint and application processes, and how they will protect access while managing staff workloads.
Key Questions
What did the Sky News report find?
It reported increases since ChatGPT launched in written complaints, FOI requests and employment tribunal claims across several UK channels. The report describes a shared upward pattern but does not prove AI caused it.
Does the report prove that AI caused complaint volumes to rise?
No. The trend began after ChatGPT launched, but timing alone does not establish causation. The report also says AI-text detectors are unreliable and that its check of 100 recent FOI requests was not conclusive.
Are AI-written FOI requests valid?
According to the Information Commissioner’s Office guidance described in the report, AI-written requests remain valid. Authorities do not need to determine whether AI was used and can ask for clarification if a request is poorly formed.
Are the additional complaints mostly frivolous?
The source material does not support a blanket conclusion that they are. Schmitz said most cases in his research involved people claiming something they were entitled to claim, while the reported DWP upheld share was close to 40%. That figure does not cover every service or establish the validity of all new submissions.
What changes could public services make?
Loosemore argues for replacing essay-style applications with structured data-based processes. No specific government reform or timetable is confirmed in the source material.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
