Overview

• Amnesty’s “Too Much Technology, Not Enough Empathy” report details how rapid testing and deployment of AI for Universal Credit and PIP has locked out people lacking digital access or literacy
• Research based on surveys and interviews with 782 claimants from October 2024 to January 2025 reveals many are stuck in bureaucratic limbo due to inaccessible online-only processes
• The report warns that opaque algorithms risk errors, bias and discrimination that deepen dehumanisation and psychological strain for already marginalised groups
• Rights advocates are calling for an independent review of the DWP’s digital systems and for new AI regulations to ensure transparency and protect human rights
• The UK National Audit Office has expressed serious doubts about whether the DWP’s multi-million-pound AI experiments deliver cost-effective improvements, and the department has declined to comment