A real UK case from 2024 that sounds like fiction – and what it reveals about the growing risk of AI-fuelled employment claims for businesses of every size.
When a job applicant sends in their CV, you assume a human wrote it. You assume, if they don’t get the role, that they’ll move on to the next application.
You probably don’t assume that they applied to 4,600 other businesses using AI, that they have a template threat of tribunal proceedings ready to fire if you don’t comply with a request, and that they’ve already collected thousands of pounds in settlements from other employers who decided it was cheaper to pay up than fight.
And yet that is exactly what happened in a case that emerged in UK employment law circles in 2024. And it raises questions that every business owner should be thinking about.
What actually happened
The case (2024): A ‘serial litigant’ was exposed for using ChatGPT to apply to over 4,600 jobs. His approach was systematic: if a company did not comply with his pre-interview request for specific job criteria, he would threaten to bring an Employment Tribunal claim for disability discrimination. Despite not always succeeding, he is reported to have won £35,000 in settlements over five years – from businesses who calculated it was easier to pay him off than defend a claim.
The scheme worked, in part, because defending an employment tribunal claim is expensive – even when you’ve done nothing wrong. Legal costs, management time, the distraction of a formal process – these are real costs that fall on the business regardless of the outcome. For many small and medium-sized businesses, the calculation is a painful one: fight and pay more, or settle and pay less.
AI made this man’s operation scalable. Without it, applying to 4,600 jobs and managing the follow-up communications would have been a full-time job in itself. With it, it became something close to a business model.
This isn’t just about one bad actor
The 4,600-job case is extreme. But it sits at the sharp end of a much broader trend that is affecting businesses across the UK right now.
AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to bringing an employment claim. It helps employees identify potential grounds they might not have known existed. It drafts the documents. It tells them what questions to ask and what deadlines to meet. And it does all of this at no cost, in the middle of the night, without them needing to visit a solicitor.
The result is a sharp increase in the number of claims being filed — including speculative ones. Employment tribunal claims rose by 13% in a single year between 2023 and 2024. By the summer of 2025, single claims had climbed a further 23% year-on-year. The system is already under extraordinary pressure. AI is adding to it.
For employers, this means a higher volume of formal complaints and claims to respond to – many of which may have little or no merit, but all of which require proper handling.
The ‘kitchen sink’ problem
One of the most common patterns employment specialists are now seeing is what they call the ‘kitchen sink’ claim. A straightforward redundancy, or a performance dispute, or a grievance about a manager’s behaviour – fed into ChatGPT, and returned as a 15-page document alleging discrimination on six separate grounds.
The original issue gets buried. The employer now has to respond to all of it. And given the potential penalties if a discrimination claim were to succeed, you cannot simply ignore the parts that seem far-fetched.
This matters because it changes the economics of disputes. A claim that previously might have been resolved quickly with a sensible conversation now arrives wrapped in legal language, citing multiple protected characteristics, and requiring a formal and carefully documented response.
What this means for your business
Your recruitment process is in scope
The 4,600-job case targeted employers at the application and interview stage – before an employment relationship had even begun. Your pre-employment processes, how you communicate with candidates, how you respond to requests for information, and how you document your decisions all matter. Make sure they are consistent, well-recorded, and can be defended.
Don’t settle to make it go away
The temptation to pay a small settlement rather than deal with the hassle of a claim is understandable. But settling speculative claims signals to anyone paying attention that the approach works. Get proper HR and legal advice before you make that call – sometimes defending firmly is the right answer. Usually, it’s the settlement the applicant is after, not actually following through with an ET claim.
Documentation is your best protection
Whether it’s a recruitment decision, a disciplinary outcome, or a grievance response, the paper trail is what protects you if a claim is ever brought. Every decision should be documented at the time, with clear reasoning that can be explained and defended. If you can’t articulate why a decision was made, a tribunal will draw its own conclusions.
Get HR support before things escalate
The businesses most exposed to AI-fuelled claims are those without proper HR support in place – the ones responding reactively, without a clear process, by managers who haven’t been trained. The good news is that solid HR foundations protect you across the board: against bad actors, speculative claims, and genuine disputes alike.
The bottom line
AI has made it easier than ever to bring an employment claim. It hasn’t changed the law – but it has changed the landscape. Businesses that recognise this and put the right foundations in place are in a much stronger position than those that don’t.
The 4,600-job case is a dramatic example. But the underlying dynamic – employees using AI to identify, build, and pursue claims they might never have raised before – is playing out every day, in businesses of every size.
If you want to make sure your processes are robust enough to withstand scrutiny, we’d love to talk.
Let’s make sure you’re protected. We work with businesses to build HR processes that are clear, consistent, and defensible – before a claim ever lands. Speak to our team today or book a free HR consultation here.
Holly Mapstone is an HR expert and specialises in helping those of you in the SME sector with all of your HR needs.
Consultancy allows Holly to be agile and to adapt her style and support to suit the needs of her clients. Building strong working relationships allows Holly to deliver improvements, while also aligning people strategy to business outcomes and promoting resilient and positive cultures.
This article is intended as general guidance and does not constitute legal advice. Every situation is different, if you need advice specific to your circumstances, please get in touch.
