Responding to AI-Driven Demand on Public Systems
Large language models are stripping away the friction that once limited citizen engagement with public services, leading to a surge in submissions such as complaints, FOI requests, and planning objections. While this democratizes access, the resulting volume threatens to overwhelm agencies, prompting slower responses or new forms of rationing. The article proposes categorising interactions into private, collective, and zero‑sum types and tailoring technical and policy tools—triage, clarity standards, randomised prioritisation, and collaborative platforms—to preserve efficiency. Ultimately, shifting from atomised, zero‑sum processes toward collective benefit models is essential for sustainable public‑sector AI adoption.
The Growing Case to Protect FOI
The UK government is considering lowering the Freedom of Information (FOI) cost limit, which would allow more requests to be rejected on financial grounds. Critics, including journalists, editors, and academic bodies, argue the move will not meaningfully reduce departmental workloads...
Reducing FOI Cost Limits Will Reduce Government Transparency
The UK government is weighing a reduction of the Freedom of Information (FOI) cost limit to curb a surge in requests. A lower limit would shrink the time authorities can spend on each request, making it easier to refuse complex...
Exploring a European Civic Tech Hub to Tackle Barriers to Civic Tech Impact
The European Commission, under its Democracy Shield initiative, is committing to create a European Civic Tech Hub to strengthen societal resilience, citizen engagement, and digital sovereignty. A joint effort between TICTeC and Finland’s innovation fund Sitra is mapping the hub’s...
Mapping Energy Data to Help Community Spaces Take Part in Electricity Network Flexibility
mySociety partnered with the Social Investment Business to build a mapping tool that matches community organisations with UK electricity network flexibility tender zones. The platform layers flex‑tender boundaries from six distribution network operators with data on community assets, energy poverty...
AI Self-Governance: It’s a Continuous Process
In July 2024 mySociety published its first AI Framework, establishing a principle of using AI responsibly and only when it is the best tool for the job. To keep the guidance current, the organisation now follows a three‑pronged approach: a...
Improving the Written Questions System
MySociety has submitted written evidence to the UK Procedure Committee’s inquiry on Written Questions, urging tighter alignment with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The submission recommends that any rejected parliamentary question be retrospectively converted into an FOI request to enable...