UK Employment Tribunal claims have risen sharply, with single claims increasing by 39% in the year to March 2026.
At the same time, the backlog of unresolved individual claims increased by 55% to around 64,000.
One factor now being highlighted is the increasing use of AI to draft grievances and Tribunal claims.
An employee can enter a workplace dispute into AI and receive a detailed list of potential claims, discrimination, harassment, victimisation, whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and more.
But a long claim isn’t necessarily a strong claim.
Case studies:
An employee has a workplace dispute.
They ask AI: “What legal claims could I make against my employer?”
AI produces 15 potential claims.
Some may be relevant. Others may have little legal basis.
But the employer still has to consider and respond to the allegations, potentially creating a much more complex and time-consuming process.
Employment Tribunals have reportedly identified AI as a likely contributor to increased complexity, including longer claims, applications and inflated schedules of loss.
AI may make it easier to write a claim. It doesn’t make the claim correct.
For employers, the best protection remains the basics:
- Good management
- Early intervention
- Proper independent investigations
- Clear documentation
- Fair procedures
- Effective HR advice and support
An employee brought a Tribunal claim alleging that their employer had failed to make reasonable adjustments and had discriminated against them because of disability. The employer’s position was that there was already a clear, documented action plan, with adjustments identified and actions recorded. The employer had to demonstrate that adjustments were properly considered, agreed where appropriate, implemented, communicated and reviewed.
Because ultimately, evidence matters more than the number of pages AI can produce or where someone makes claims that cannot be substantiated.
Is AI helping employees access justice or is it creating more complex claims for an already stretched Tribunal system?