AI and complaints: removing barriers, reinforcing divides? How AI is influencing who complains, how they complain, and what could come next

Key Findings

• — 22% of 2,196 adults had made (7%) or considered making (15%) a formal complaint about a regulated service in the past 12 months; 54% of them had used an AI tool, 25% to make a complaint and 34% to consider whether to make one.
• — 79% of those who used AI said it influenced their complaint decision; more were influenced not to complain (47%) than to complain (32%). The briefing states the ombudsman has no insight into the guidance AI gave or whether it led to fair outcomes.
• — Uses included understanding rights (44%), writing the complaint (43%) and deciding whether there were grounds to complain (40%); 39% said AI had not addressed the complexities of their complaint or given the guidance they wanted.
• — 51 of 100 randomly selected ombudsman complaint files showed indicators of AI use; among them, AI's impact on resolution was assessed as positive in 33%, neutral in 31% and negative in 35%, with lengthy, legalistic or inaccurate submissions prolonging disputes.
• — 70% of under-35s who had made or considered a complaint had used AI, against 16% of over-55s; use was also higher among employed, graduate, male and higher-income respondents.

Methodology Notes

Ipsos online survey of 2,196 adults aged 16-75 in England and Wales, fieldwork 13-17 March 2026; 478 had made or considered a complaint and 257 of them used AI (figures are self-reported). Internal dip-samples: 100 random complaints across all areas of law and 100 residential conveyancing complaints, coded for AI indicators and impact by Legal Ombudsman staff. Literature review of ombudsman and regulator evidence. The Legal Ombudsman scheme was set up by the Office for Legal Complaints under the Legal Services Act 2007, an arm's-length body of the Ministry of Justice. Two PDF copies are linked from the 1 October 2026 news release (one carries 'CLASSIFICATION: OFFICIAL' page markings); text is otherwise the same. News page JSON-LD datePublished 2026-09-30T18:13Z (embargoed for 1 October); PDF creation date 2026-10-01.

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