Understanding the problems that using AI can cause and what to do if you decide to use it

We know that you may worry that, if you use your own words, your complaint might not be understood or taken seriously.

We have seen an increase in people turning to AI to help them present their concerns.

However, AI can cause its own problems, because it:

• Can make mistakes
• Makes problems much larger and complex than they need to be
• Can introduce facts that are not correct
• Can refer to laws and regulations that do not exist, or misinterpret those that do
• Can mask people's vulnerabilities

In some cases people have not understood their complaint response because the genuine concerns in their complaint got lost in the AI-assisted version.

The best way to communicate a complaint

We prefer to hear from you directly, in your own words, about how you have been affected.

Complaints written in simple and clear terms, will always be quicker and easier to understand, and to reply to.

However, if we do not understand what you mean in your complaint, we will get in touch to ensure we understand the problem.

All complaints are considered equally on merit, whether they are written or submitted.

If you need help, or are not sure about something, email complaints@herefordshire.gov.uk or call 01432 260535 and one of our expert Complaints team will get back to you.

Using AI

If you do want to use AI to support you please consider the following:

• It's your complaint, so it's important you read it through carefully to ensure it is accurate before you submit it to us
• Focus on you and your experiences, and the impact they had on you
• By using an AI tool generally available over the internet, you may be sharing sensitive personal information which might be used to train that AI system or be processed overseas
• Consider using one of our suggested AI complaint prompts
• If we receive an AI-assisted complaint (or subsequent related correspondence) that is overly long or complex, we may ask you to resubmit it in a different form, or we may decide to produce a concise statement of complaint for you to approve

If we need more time to understand an AI-assisted complaint or related correspondence, the formal procedure and timescale will not start until this is resolved.

Suggested AI prompts to help you make a complaint

When drafting your complaint, do not include personal details. Use placeholders such as “[the officer]” or “[my relative]” instead.

We suggest these prompts to help you make a complaint:

• I need to clearly explain what happened on [date] when [describe the situation]. Here are the details: [provide all the facts and circumstances]. Help me organise these into a clear structure that shows what happened first, second, third and so on. Only use the information I have provided.
• I need help organising this information about what the organisation did wrong: [list all the specific issues]. Please help me put this into clear sentences. Focus on the facts of what actually happened, do not make any assumptions or include any legal references or arguments.
• Help me describe what happened in simple, clear language: [describe each issue in detail, including who was involved, what they said or did, and when it happened]. Help me express this clearly while keeping it in my own voice.
• Help me explain how this affected my daily life and how it made me feel. Here's what happened to me: [describe specific impacts on your health, work, family, finances or emotions. Explain how long problems lasted, what you couldn’t do and any on-going effects]. Make sure each impact is connected to what went wrong.
• Rewrite the text below as a clear, polite complaint. Use only the information I have provided. Do not add or invent new facts. Be concise and professional, but not too formal or legal. Include a closing paragraph suggesting how I would like the complaint to be resolved.