U.K. family doctors are confronting a new kind of administrative burden: patient complaints generated with artificial intelligence that can run 20 pages or longer.
A survey of nearly 160 practice managers in the United Kingdom suggests many think those AI-written letters are adding to workloads and putting further strain on staff at already stretched practices.
Here's what to know
The Medical Protection Society, which offers legal and indemnity support to healthcare staff, said just 7% of practice managers surveyed had never received an AI-generated complaint, according to The Independent. Another 45% said the complaints are worsening workload pressures and damaging staff morale and wellbeing.
Dr. Sarah Townley, deputy medical director at the Medical Protection Society, said AI can be helpful when patients struggle to put concerns in writing, including those dealing with health problems, low confidence, or language barriers. However, she said: "Letters can be 20 pages, sometimes longer. They are often complicated, include detailed but occasionally questionable legal arguments, and many fail to remove the AI tool's 'coaching' and common tells."
A major issue, Townley said, is the time needed to answer these complaints because "the patient's concerns are often more difficult to decipher." She also recounted a case in which a Medical Protection Society member had completed a response, only for an AI-assisted follow-up to arrive almost immediately with additional issues.
While emphasizing that complaints matter for oversight and improvement, Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, said patients are entitled to raise concerns or make complaints about the care they receive, "and complaints can play an important role in accountability, learning and improving services."
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She added that AI-generated submissions can become unnecessarily lengthy, more legalistic, and more difficult for general practitioner teams to understand and answer appropriately.
More background
Not all of these complaints are really about the practice itself. Tzortziou Brown said GPs are "increasingly dealing with complaints that reflect wider frustrations with pressures across the NHS," including delays in hospital or community services that local practices do not control.
She also warned about the effect on practice teams, saying "complex or threatening complaints can place considerable additional pressure on already overstretched teams and take an emotional toll," raising further concerns about staff wellbeing as practices try to keep up with patient demand.
Patients may face risks as well when they use AI tools for this purpose. Guidance from the Public Service Ombudsman warned that AI providers could use personal information to train their systems and process that data in other countries, a particularly sensitive issue when complaints include medical details.
What's being done?
Authorities are trying to make AI use more practical and less disruptive to the complaints process. The Public Service Ombudsman has issued advice for patients who use these tools, stressing that "simple, clear language that explains what happened is always more helpful than complicated, formal writing."
Patients are also advised not to "ask AI to add legal arguments, use formal legal language or refer to laws to make your complaint sound more 'official'." The guidance addresses concerns that AI can escalate the tone and complexity of a complaint without making the core issue any clearer.
On the healthcare side, the Medical Protection Society said it is supporting members navigating the rise in AI-generated correspondence. GP practices are also still expected to investigate complaints through their existing procedures, and Tzortziou Brown said: "It's vital that complaints processes maintain careful human judgment, and that concerns are considered fairly, proportionately and on an individual basis."
In the view of both groups, AI should make it easier for patients to explain what went wrong, not turn complaints into longer and more adversarial exchanges that pull time away from care.
At root, the issue also reflects how little spare capacity exists in the healthcare system.
Where can I learn more?
This issue is part of a broader debate over how AI is changing healthcare and other public services.
• Researchers found very small wording changes can sharply alter AI health chatbot advice.
• U.S. lawmakers pushed to stop insurers denying claims with AI.
• At Mayo Clinic, a whistleblower alleged staff hid an AI tool's high error rate.
• Researchers warned AI-linked data centers may be worsening air pollution and harming health.
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