The government's hopes for AI to transform state machinery and save public money are facing challenges, with early indications suggesting AI may be hindering rather than streamlining public service delivery. This is partly attributed to the public's increased use of AI to interact with official bodies.
Former civil servant Sam Freedman noted in a Substack post last week that governments worldwide appear to be experiencing unusual surges in complaints, requests, and responses to regulatory and official bodies since the adoption of ChatGPT. This trend is also observed in the courts, with employment tribunal cases in England, Scotland, and Wales reportedly increasing by 39% in a year, partly due to claimants using AI to draft claims.
Whitehall special advisers have also reported that departments are being overwhelmed by AI-generated freedom of information requests. Similarly, MPs' offices are reportedly swamped by AI-generated letters, all of which require human review to ensure no important constituent communication is missed.