UK Government's New Pension Portal Operator Tells Users To Wait for AI Before Complaining (theregister.com)
- Reference: 0180519421
- News link: https://it.slashdot.org/story/26/01/05/1924237/uk-governments-new-pension-portal-operator-tells-users-to-wait-for-ai-before-complaining
- Source link: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/05/capita_pension_portal_chatbots/
The service launched on December 1 and immediately ran into problems including unrecognized passwords, broken links and placeholder text scattered across unfinished pages. In a December 17 email to members, The Register reports today, managing director Chris Clements said Capita was "working tirelessly" and promised "one of the biggest services in the United Kingdom with AI at its core" by March.
He asked users whose enquiries were not urgent to wait until the new year before contacting support again.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/05/capita_pension_portal_chatbots/
Failure (Score:2)
We should not be paying these private companies to run core government tech. Such things like this should be done in house and not for profit. Why pay more for less. They've proven themselves incompetent numerous times yet we throw taxpayer money at them constantly. Disgusting.
Re: (Score:3)
I don't think the Government has a great track record of running complex systems either though
Re: Failure (Score:3)
> I don't think the Government has a great track record of running complex systems either though
Yes, because for some reason, after failure after failure after monumental clusterfuck successive governments still keep awarding contracts to the likes of Crapita and Accenture.
Re: Failure (Score:2)
Perhaps not but at the very least they could screw it up for cheaper!
Re: Failure (Score:2)
On the contrary. Administrations have a great track record of running incredibly complex systems since 150 years. With pen and paper. And rubber stamps.
And that even surprisingly reliable.
It's just neither cheap or fast. The big screwups usually happen when they are trying to become that. Or "efficient"
Yes, but that's the point. (Score:1)
This regime's guiding principle is private companies should not be denied the opportunity to profit off of everything. If they can't just hand it off, they're going to slowly break break it until they can.
You think it's bad now, just wait (Score:4)
The AI will introduce a whole new layer of sh!tty misdirection and incorrect answers!
Re:You think it's bad now, just wait (Score:5, Funny)
> The AI will introduce a whole new layer of sh!tty misdirection and incorrect answers!
I was gonna say, this sounds like the most English thing ever. "You think this is terrible? Just you wait for the AIs. Then you'll have something to complain about."
Blow-offs scaled up and out (Score:4, Insightful)
Lone Asshole: Talk to the hand
Collective Assholes a decade ago: Please wait, your call is very important to us...
New Collective Assholes: Talk to the bot
Really glad to see them using AI chatbots (Score:1)
Because if it's one thing the United Kingdom has a shortage of it's workers looking for good-paying jobs. Clearly we need more automation.
Bigly! (Score:3)
> ... managing director Chris Clements said Capita was "working tirelessly" and promised "one of the biggest services in the United Kingdom with AI at its core"
It really does sound like something the Traffic Cone in Chief might say.
Yes, but I want to complain... (Score:1)
...about the use of AI chatbots...
Users should (Score:4, Funny)
create AI bots to complain to the government's AI
R2: Bots arguing with bots, how perverse (Score:2)
"And your mother is a rusty toaster!"
Re: R2: Bots arguing with bots, how perverse (Score:2)
And your father smelt of elderberries?
Re: (Score:1)
Needs to be bottified: "And your father is powered by rotting elderberries!"