Co-op Legal Services is using an AI system to analyze calls made by some staff handling probate, wills and estates inquiries, according to a report by The Guardian on 8 October 2026. The system reportedly assesses more than 50 aspects of a call and gives managers pass/fail scores. The Co-op says it is a quality-assurance and coaching tool, not a decision-maker; an anonymous employee told the paper the monitoring felt pervasive and undermined trust.
What the Co-op AI monitoring system reportedly does
The Guardian reported that the system is being used with dozens of legal-services staff handling inquiries about probate, wills and estates. The rollout had begun in the couple of months before the report. It says an OpenAI model assesses more than 50 aspects of calls and provides managers with pass/fail scores. The report does not name the monitoring product or explain the full technical setup, scoring rubric or validation process.
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An anonymous employee told The Guardian that monitoring could occupy several hours of a workday, with calls often involving bereaved customers. The employee described feeling watched and distrustful. This is one worker’s account, not evidence that all affected colleagues share the experience. The Guardian’s report also quotes the worker describing the system as “oppressive and dystopian.”
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Why the company says it uses the system
The Co-op said it did not recognize the employee’s criticism, described probate advisers as highly engaged, and said AI was a key part of its quality-assurance processes. It characterized the system as a support tool intended to help colleagues and improve client experience, rather than a decision-maker.
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Caoilionn Hurley, managing director of Co-op Life Services, told The Guardian: “The efficiency of AI over traditional methods allows us to review all customer conversations to ensure we consistently deliver high standards of service, while enabling more informed support, coaching and development for colleagues … Put simply, our goal is to provide expert support combined with empathy and understanding for every client at what can be a difficult time.”
What UK rules say about monitoring workers
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) says employers can monitor workers, but must do so lawfully and fairly. Its guidance calls for transparency, informing workers about monitoring, and using the least intrusive means that can achieve the purpose. It also warns that excessive monitoring can intrude on privacy and harm mental wellbeing. The ICO says its worker-monitoring guidance is under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act, so its live guidance is the place to check for current regulatory detail.
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Where processing is likely to create a high risk to workers or others, the ICO says an employer must carry out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) before processing. Its examples include monitoring that could lead to financial loss, such as performance management. Employers should also take reasonable steps to keep monitoring data accurate and consider worker challenges, especially where information could be used in an adverse decision.
The ICO’s guidance on automated decisions says decision-support tools need meaningful human involvement. A manager should actively assess a recommendation, have the authority and competence to disagree, and consider other relevant information. The Co-op says its system is not a decision-maker, but The Guardian’s report does not describe how managers use scores in practice. The available account is not enough to determine whether the system complies with data-protection law or how any particular automated-decision rule applies.
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What the report leaves unanswered
The Guardian account does not establish:
- Which call-monitoring product or vendor is used, or the complete technical setup.
- How long recordings and derived scores are retained, or whether calls are transcribed or sent to external services.
- The assessment rubric, how scores were validated, or how staff can contest an inaccurate score.
- Whether scores affect appraisals, pay, discipline or dismissal, or what human review takes place before managers act on them.
How to assess workplace AI monitoring
For employees, employers and anyone evaluating a monitoring system, these questions help distinguish a narrowly defined quality check from more intrusive performance surveillance:
- Purpose: Is the system for service quality, compliance, performance management, or a combination?
- Scope: Does it review a sample of calls or every call, and how often are workers assessed?
- Intrusiveness: What information is captured, who can access it, and how long is it kept?
- Transparency and consultation: Have workers been told what is monitored, why, and how outputs may be used?
- Accuracy and challenge: Can employees see and challenge scores, and are disputed or inaccurate records corrected?
- Human judgment: Does a qualified manager independently consider the context and have real authority to reject an AI output?
These are practical questions drawn from the concerns in the ICO’s guidance, not claims about procedures at Co-op Legal Services that The Guardian did not report.
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