Source: BBC

A rising tide of AI-assisted complaints is substantially increasing the workload of schools, local councils and other public bodies, with chatbots producing complex submissions that often quote regulations or Acts of Parliament. The dossier reports that documents once confined to a single sheet of A4 can now run to 20 pages, and that AI-generated complaints can be between 19 and 27 pages, sometimes including case law. Recipients say AI also makes errors and can misquote legislation, adding time to grievance handling and sometimes requiring consultation with lawyers, which raises costs. Deborah Evans, chief executive of Lawyers in Local Government (representing 5,600 local authority lawyers), estimated her organisation would need to double current staff to manage the "massive" increase in complaints. Evans said AI had increased the number of trivial or unjustified complaints and ramped up their complexity, prompting suggestions such as using forms to limit complaint length. One public-body account contrasted past single-page bin complaints with AI-driven submissions that include extensive legal citation.

The Information Commissioner's Office told the BBC in May that FOI teams were seeing "higher volumes of requests, a greater complexity of request" including some that misquote legislation or require significant clarification. The ICO published guidance warning that without clear practical support the trend risks placing pressure on FOI teams and could cause delays, errors or increased complaints. Amerdeep Clarke of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said AI needed to be used with "discretion" and noted a rise in AI use in legal challenges to the ombudsman's decisions. Lynn Wyeth, digital officer at the National Association of Data Protection Officers, said AI-assisted requests create a "hidden workload" with longer correspondence, clarification exercises and complex appeals. Some practitioners and listeners reported using AI to condense 50+ page complaints into a one-page response to close cases, while others stressed AI helps people who struggle with writing to represent themselves. School leaders including Pepe Di'Iasio of the Association of School and College Leaders said AI adds to the difficulty of resolving parental complaints and increases strain on staff.