AI-generated criminal complaints burden Swiss prosecutors

AI-generated criminal complaints are becoming increasingly common in Switzerland, but their length and repetition can create significant work for prosecutors and, in some cases, costs for the people who submit them, SRF reported.

Lukas Büttiker, deputy chief prosecutor of the canton of Solothurn, told SRF that AI-generated complaints are often excessively long and repetitive. One recent complaint was 55 pages long and included dozens of requests for evidence, many of which repeated descriptions of events that were irrelevant to criminal proceedings.

Such complaints also frequently contain pages of unrealistic requests for evidence, Büttiker said. Prosecutors nevertheless examine AI-generated complaints seriously, just as they do other complaints.

The documents are often well structured and written in polished language. But submitting a complaint may not be financially worthwhile if it is inflated with numerous requests, Büttiker said. The additional work increases the costs, which can then be taken into account.

If a complaint leads to criminal proceedings, processing costs can also fall on the person who submitted it. If no proceedings are opened or the accused person is ultimately acquitted, costs may be assigned to the parties.

Büttiker said it was difficult to predict whether such complaints would continue to increase. In his view, legal laypeople face difficulties when using AI without being able to correct its output.

The canton of Aargau has also received AI-generated complaints. Adrian Schuler, a spokesman for the Aargau public prosecutor’s office, said he would not describe the situation as a flood. Online tools to help people prepare complaints existed before AI, he said.

Schuler also sees potential benefits. AI could take a user’s emotions into account and advise against filing a complaint when appropriate, he said. He cited minor offences such as disputes between neighbours as an example.

In Switzerland, people can file a criminal complaint verbally at a police station, through the official online police station Suisse ePolice, or in writing with a signature at the responsible public prosecutor’s office. A criminal offence must have occurred before a complaint is filed, Schuler said. Misleading or insulting the authorities through a complaint is also punishable.