Key facts
- Public services globally are seeing large increases in applications and complaints.
- UK housing ombudsman complaints rose from 2,600 in 2022 to over 7,000 last year.
- US CFPB complaints increased fivefold.
- Researcher Chris Schmitz is tracking this trend as 'agentic flooding'.
- Schmitz's research examined 84 cases across 11 jurisdictions.
- Most new applications are from legitimate users leveraging AI to reduce administrative burden.
Public services worldwide are experiencing a significant surge in applications and complaints, driven by the increasing ease with which AI tools can be used to interact with official channels. In the United Kingdom, complaints to the housing ombudsman more than doubled, rising from 2,600 in 2022 to over 7,000 last year. Similarly, the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reported a fivefold increase in complaints during the same period. Similar trends have been observed in judicial petitions in Brazil and parliamentary petitions in Germany.
Researcher Chris Schmitz has identified this phenomenon as "agentic flooding" and is documenting its prevalence across various jurisdictions. His upcoming paper examines 84 cases in 11 countries, providing evidence that AI is altering how individuals engage with public services. While some submissions may be adversarial, Schmitz notes that many are from legitimate applicants using AI to overcome the administrative burden of filing claims that they might otherwise abandon.
Schmitz's research indicates that submissions for various services, from welfare applications to judicial appeals, were relatively stable before 2022. Following the widespread adoption of AI technologies, submission rates began to increase rapidly, and this growth has not yet shown signs of slowing down. He attributes this to the improving capabilities and accessibility of AI tools, making it simpler for users to generate effective requests with minimal effort.
This influx of AI-generated requests mirrors challenges faced by bug-bounty services, which were inundated with low-quality reports. Schmitz, however, emphasizes that the majority of new applications to public services are from individuals with legitimate claims who are now better equipped to navigate the application process. He views this as an opportunity to reimagine and improve public services for the AI era, making them more accessible and efficient.