AI-generated complaints overwhelm Danish municipalities with errors and lengthy documents

Danish municipalities are facing a growing burden as citizens increasingly use artificial intelligence to generate complaints, often resulting in lengthy, error-filled documents that strain administrative resources, reports Danish broadcaster DR.

Jakob Frost, citizen’s ombudsman in Silkeborg Municipality, estimates that AI is now used in one in five complaints he receives. While AI can help citizens articulate grievances, the technology frequently produces incorrect legal references or fabricated information, forcing municipal specialists to spend days verifying claims.

“These AI tools sometimes hallucinate, inventing legislation that may exist in other countries but isn’t part of Danish law,” Frost said. He noted that some complaints even retain AI-generated prompts, such as offers to summarise the text or questions directed at the user.

The issue extends beyond Silkeborg. Authorities in Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Randers, as well as the national Board of Appeal and the Tribunals Agency, report a rise in AI-generated complaints. The Board of Appeal confirmed to DR that AI tools occasionally “invent or guess facts,” including incorrect references to ombudsman statements or case law.

Rikke Gade, an AI expert and associate professor at Aalborg University, said the trend is unsurprising. “Generating a long complaint takes seconds, but municipalities spend hours reading, assessing, and fact-checking,” she explained. While AI can assist those struggling to formulate complaints, she acknowledged the risk of misinformation.

Gade expects improvements as AI advances, predicting that both citizens and municipalities will increasingly rely on the technology—with authorities likely adopting AI tools to process complaints more efficiently.

Despite the challenges, Frost emphasised AI’s potential if used critically. “There’s value in this, especially if users verify sources and ensure the AI is transparent about where it gets information,” he said.