AI agents are flooding public services with new requests

AI-powered tools are leading to a dramatic increase in submissions to public services worldwide, a phenomenon researcher Chris Schmitz terms "agentic flooding." Data shows complaints to the UK housing ombudsman more than doubled, and US consumer complaints quintupled since 2022, with similar trends in Brazil and Germany. Schmitz analyzed 84 cases across 11 jurisdictions, finding most submissions come from real people with legitimate claims, enabled by AI's ability to reduce the administrative burden of applying. While this strains resources, Schmitz views it as an opportunity to redesign public services for the AI era, making processes more accessible and efficient.

(Source：TechCrunch)