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Social workers’ AI tool makes ‘gibberish’ transcripts of accounts from children
Technology•February 11, 2026 at 7:39 PMNational

Social workers’ AI tool makes ‘gibberish’ transcripts of accounts from children

By Robert Booth UK technology editor•The Guardian - UK News

Transcription tools used by councils in England and Scotland reported to wrongly indicate suicidal ideationAI tools are making potentially harmful errors in social work records, from bogus warnings of suicidal ideation to simple “gibberish”, frontline workers have said.Keir Starmer last year championed what he called “incredible” time-saving social work transcription technology. But research across 17 English and Scottish councils shared with the Guardian has now found AI-generated hallucinations are slipping in. Continue reading...

Transcription tools used by councils in England and Scotland reported to wrongly indicate suicidal ideation

AI tools are making potentially harmful errors in social work records, from bogus warnings of suicidal ideation to simple “gibberish”, frontline workers have said.

Keir Starmer last year championed what he called “incredible” time-saving social work transcription technology. But research across 17 English and Scottish councils shared with the Guardian has now found AI-generated hallucinations are slipping in.

Continue reading...

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