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A Sky News report published October 20 says written complaints, information requests and employment tribunal claims have risen across British public services since ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The figures show a broad pattern, but they do not establish that AI caused the increases; many complaints are legitimate, and agencies face choices about how to handle the added volume.
Complaints, information requests and employment tribunal claims have risen across several British public services since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, according to a Sky News report published October 20. The figures point to growing pressure on offices that process written submissions, but they do not establish that artificial intelligence caused the increases.
Sky News technology correspondent Rowland Manthorpe reported increases in nine channels, including a 144% rise in household complaints about water companies, a 78% rise in complaints about English local authorities and a 71% rise in written complaints to GP practices. Individual employment tribunal claims were up 62%, while written complaints to the NHS rose 35%. The comparisons are measured from ChatGPT’s November 2022 launch, according to the report.
The increases span different services, each with its own possible causes. Water companies, for example, have faced difficult years. Sky News argues that a recurring pattern — volumes broadly flat for years, then rising after late 2022 — merits attention, while cautioning that timing alone does not prove a link to AI.
In a test described by Manthorpe, an AI-text detector labelled 89 of 100 recent Freedom of Information requests as fully AI-written and nine as human-written. A smaller 2019 sample was labelled entirely human. The report says the test is not conclusive: AI detectors are unreliable, and the samples cannot show that AI caused the wider increase.
BRITAIN · PUBLIC SERVICES · SINCE NOVEMBER 2022
What’s Behind AI’s Growing Paperwork Burden in Britain?
Complaints, information requests and tribunal claims have risen across public services. The pattern is notable—but the figures do not show that AI caused it.
“It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.”
CIVIL SERVANT · SURVEY CITED BY SKY NEWS01 / THE SIGNAL
A broad rise across different channels
Sky News reported increases in nine channels after ChatGPT launched in November 2022. The examples below show the scale of reported change; each service has its own circumstances and possible causes.
Reported percentage changes since ChatGPT’s November 2022 launch. Values are from separate channels and do not represent a like-for-like workload measure.
02 / WHAT THE COUNTS MEAN
More submissions can mean more work
Higher volumes can add pressure to offices already handling complaints, information requests and claims. But a polished or lengthy submission may still describe a genuine problem, and a poorly formed request may simply need clarification.
More written contact
Staff surveyed by Sky News described being “bombarded with correspondence at speed.” The figures do not quantify the extra time each submission takes.
Volume is not a verdict
Higher counts alone cannot show whether complaints are valid or illegitimate. People may have good reason to raise concerns or make claims.
Effects remain unclear
The report does not establish whether higher volumes led to longer waits, different decisions or reduced service quality.
03 / A DETECTOR TEST
One small test, limited conclusions
Recent FOI requests scanned
In a 100-request sample described by Rowland Manthorpe, a detector labelled 89 requests fully AI-written and nine human-written. A smaller 2019 sample was labelled entirely human.
Detectors can be unreliable. Their labels cannot confirm who wrote a request.
The sample is limited. One test of 100 recent requests cannot explain a wider trend across services.
Timing is not causation. A rise after late 2022 is a pattern to investigate, not proof that AI produced it.
04 / GUIDANCE & WIDER CONTEXT
Rules focus on access, even as volume rises
The Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance on AI-generated Freedom of Information requests in May 2026, after public authorities reported higher volumes and more complex submissions.
An AI-written FOI request remains valid. Authorities do not need to determine whether a person or AI tool wrote it; they may ask for clarification if it is badly formed.
ICO GUIDANCE · AS SUMMARIZED BY SKY NEWSResearcher Chris Schmitz identified 84 possible “agentic flooding” cases across 11 jurisdictions. Most were roughly flat before 2022 and rose afterward, according to TechCrunch’s account.
SEPARATE INTERNATIONAL MEASURES05 / HOW TO READ THE EVIDENCE
From rising counts to better answers
The figures describe a broad increase in written contact. To understand what is driving it—and what it means for people and staff—more evidence is needed at each step.
Observe
Several channels show higher counts since November 2022.
Separate causes
Measure AI’s contribution alongside other channel-specific factors.
Measure impact
Track staff capacity, response times and public outcomes.
Protect access
Manage workload while keeping routes open for valid concerns.
06 / KEY QUESTIONS
What we know—and what we don’t
Which channel rose the most?
Household complaints about water companies rose 144%, the largest increase cited. That figure does not show that AI caused the change.
Does the report prove AI caused the rise?
No. Similar timing across channels is not proof of causation; each channel may have other reasons for its increase.
Are AI-written FOI requests valid?
Yes. Under the ICO guidance summarized by Sky News, an AI-written request remains valid. Authorities may seek clarification if it is badly formed.
Are more complaints necessarily illegitimate?
No. Higher volume alone says nothing about whether a complaint or claim is valid. People may be exercising a legitimate right.
Pressure on Public Service Inboxes
More written submissions can add to the work of public bodies already handling complaints, information requests and claims. In a survey of civil servants cited by Sky News, 58% said public use of AI-generated content significantly affects their work. Respondents described being “bombarded with correspondence at speed” and said that, in some cases, “we’re arguing with ChatGPT.”
The practical issue is how to process higher volumes without blocking people from raising valid concerns. A more polished or lengthy submission may still describe a genuine problem, while a poorly formed request may need clarification. The figures do not show how much additional work each submission creates or whether outcomes for the public have changed.
That distinction matters for policy. Responses that make it harder to submit complaints or requests could affect people who have a valid reason to contact the state. Changes to how agencies receive, clarify and process submissions may address workload while preserving access, but the report does not set out a tested solution.
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Rules for AI-Written Requests
The Information Commissioner’s Office issued guidance on AI-generated Freedom of Information requests in May 2026, after public authorities reported higher volumes and more complex submissions. According to the guidance as summarized by Sky News, an AI-written request remains valid. Authorities do not need to establish whether a person or an AI tool wrote it, and may ask for clarification if a request is badly formed.
The pattern is not limited to Britain. A paper by researcher Chris Schmitz, reported by TechCrunch in September, identified 84 possible cases of “agentic flooding” across 11 jurisdictions. Most were roughly flat before 2022 and rose afterward, according to the 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 rise fivefold. These are separate measures and do not establish that AI explains the increases.
““It’s like being bombarded with correspondence at speed.””
— Civil servant surveyed in research cited by Sky News
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What the Rising Counts Cannot Show
The reported figures do not isolate AI’s effect from other reasons people may complain or make claims. Sky News notes that each channel has its own circumstances, and the detector test covered only 100 recent FOI requests. Because text detectors can be unreliable, its results cannot confirm authorship or establish a cause for the broader trend.
The source material does not provide the full survey method, the number of civil servants surveyed, or enough detail to compare the effort required to handle submissions over time. It also does not show whether the higher volumes led to longer waits, different decisions or reduced service quality. Those effects remain unclear.
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How Agencies Handle More Submissions
The immediate response described in the source material is the ICO’s existing guidance: treat AI-written FOI requests as valid and seek clarification when needed. The report leaves open how public bodies will manage the wider rise in written complaints and claims, and whether they will change their processes or the information they request from the public.
Further evidence would need to separate AI’s contribution from other causes and show what higher volumes mean for staff capacity, response times and outcomes. Until then, the figures describe a broad increase in written contact with public services, while the cause and operational effects remain unsettled.
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Key Questions
Which public service channel saw the largest reported increase?
Household complaints about water companies rose 144% since ChatGPT launched in November 2022, according to the Sky News report. The figure does not show that AI caused the increase.
Does the report prove that AI caused complaints to rise?
No. It reports a similar upward pattern across several channels, but timing does not establish causation. Each channel may have other reasons for its increase.
Are AI-written Freedom of Information requests valid?
According to Information Commissioner’s Office guidance issued in May 2026, an AI-written FOI request remains valid. Authorities may ask for clarification if it is badly formed.
What did the AI-text detector test find?
It labelled 89 of 100 recent FOI requests as fully AI-written and nine as human-written. The report cautions that detectors are unreliable and that this small test cannot establish authorship or explain the wider rise.
Are the increased complaints necessarily illegitimate?
No. The source material includes researcher Chris Schmitz’s view that most identified cases involve people making claims they are entitled to make. Higher volume alone does not show whether a complaint or claim is valid.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
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