Co-op uses AI to monitor probate advisers’ customer calls

The Co-op’s automated listening system records and analyses conversations between agents and customers seeking advice about probate, wills and estates.[1] A model from OpenAI is trained to assess more than 50 aspects of each call.[1] The monitoring was introduced into the work of dozens of legal-services staff in the couple of months before the report.[1] One employee said the system can cover several hours of their workday while they handle inquiries, often from recently bereaved customers.[1]

The system gives managers pass-or-fail scores, which they use to analyse employee performance.[1] It is also used in part to identify ways employees can improve their sales performance.[1] The Co-op says AI is a key part of its quality-assurance processes and that its efficiency compared with traditional methods lets the company review all customer conversations.[1] The company says these reviews enable more informed support, coaching and development for colleagues.[1]

A worker said the monitoring created a sense of distrust and described it as feeling dystopian.[1] The Co-op said its probate advisers were highly engaged and that the AI is solely a support tool, not a decision-maker.[1] It also said human judgment, accountability, care and kindness remain central to every client relationship.[1] Chadfield’s quoted remarks said examples like this can intensify working lives without reason, and that unaccountable computer systems should not be people’s managers.[1]

The International Labour Organization warned in 2026 about psychosocial risks from AI monitoring, including work-related stress.[1] The report says AI systems are being deployed in workplaces without a comprehensive regulatory framework.[1] Chadfield’s remarks link structured performance feedback with offices becoming more like factories.[1]