# Opinion: AI tools are flooding public services with useless requests

Digest AI · Society & Work · published 2026-10-20T05:00:17Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/opinion-ai-tools-are-flooding-public-services-with-useless-requests

## Summary

Columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues that AI, once touted as a time‑saving miracle, is now overwhelming government bodies with a flood of machine‑generated messages. She cites a Substack post by former civil servant Sam Freedman, who notes a surge in complaints, requests and regulatory filings since the rollout of ChatGPT.

In England, Scotland and Wales, employment tribunal cases are reportedly up 39% in a year, partly because claimants use AI to draft claims. Judges and magistrates are also dealing with AI‑written submissions that often contain nonexistent precedents. Whitehall advisers complain of a deluge of AI‑generated freedom‑of‑information requests, while MPs’ offices are swamped with AI‑written constituent letters that still require human review. Hinsliff warns that the same pattern that made email a productivity tool – only to become spam‑filled – is repeating with AI, risking a paralysis of public consultation and service delivery.

She suggests that, as with email filters and congestion charges for traffic, society will need new frictions to manage AI’s output, but cautions against assuming that more AI will automatically deliver time savings.

## Key points

- Inboxes exceed 7,000 messages, yet AI adds more, not less, workload
- Employment tribunal cases reportedly rose 39% in a year, linked to AI‑drafted claims
- Whitehall advisers and MPs’ offices say AI‑generated FOI requests and letters are overwhelming staff

## Why it matters

The piece highlights how unchecked AI adoption can strain public institutions, showing that productivity promises may backfire without proper safeguards.

## Sources

1. [Don’t be fooled. The AI that was supposed to save us time is doing just the opposite](https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/20/ai-supposed-to-save-time-opposite-government-uk) (The Guardian AI, 2026-10-20)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Opinion: AI tools are flooding public services with useless requests", 20 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/opinion-ai-tools-are-flooding-public-services-with-useless-requests

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