The Ombuds Group has adopted Ctrl AI for dispute resolution across its schemes, marking the first time it has used artificial intelligence in this part of its work.
The not-for-profit body handles thousands of complaints each year across rail, retail, home improvement, furniture, finance, energy brokers, and TV and music licensing. Complaint volumes are rising, it said, and cases are becoming more complex, including submissions drafted with AI tools.
Ctrl AI is a UK-based platform backed by law firm Mishcon de Reya. It will sit alongside The Ombuds Group's existing case management software, Tizo, which it already uses for dispute handling.
The rollout covers all of The Ombuds Group's schemes. Established by the Office of Fair Trading, the organisation is government-approved and operates as an alternative dispute resolution provider.
How it works
According to the companies, the platform is designed for regulated dispute resolution and uses a verification-first model. Any output generated by the system is reviewed and signed off by a named handler rather than issued automatically.
The software is also described as fully auditable, with customer data not used to train external models. The design aligns with the Ombudsman Association AI Principles and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, according to the companies.
For The Ombuds Group, the software is intended to support case handling while leaving final decisions to human staff. The aim is to direct resources more effectively across its wider work on consumer complaints and industry standards, it said.
Wider adoption
The deployment reflects a broader push to test how AI can be used in tightly regulated complaint and redress processes without removing human oversight. Alternative dispute resolution providers face pressure to manage larger caseloads while maintaining consistency and clear audit trails for decisions.
Ctrl AI said its platform is designed to sit on top of existing case management systems rather than replace them. Besides The Ombuds Group, it is also used by law firms including Winston Taylor.
Founded in 2024, the company focuses on disputes and decision-making processes where evidence handling and traceable reasoning are central. Its market position rests on offering AI tools that can operate within formal review structures rather than outside them.
Kevin Grix, Chief Executive and Chief Ombudsman at The Ombuds Group, said: "Across all of the schemes we operate, volumes of consumer complaints are on the rise and the work is getting more complex. Complaints are also increasingly written by AI. What drew us to Ctrl AI was its verification-first design - the AI does the heavy lifting around evidence and consistency, while our handlers stay firmly in charge of every decision. It sits on top of the human-centric systems we already have in place, integrates seamlessly with our existing CMS, Tizo, and it is built around the standards a regulated scheme needs to meet. In combining Tizo's case management software with Ctrl AI, I believe we are bringing together the two market-leading systems available in ADR."
Anup Kollanethu, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Ctrl AI, said: "We are delighted that The Ombuds Group is adopting Ctrl AI and are looking forward to working together. The fact a leading ADR organisation is adopting Ctrl AI across its full portfolio shows that AI in regulated dispute resolution is no longer experimental; it's becoming part of the core infrastructure. We've always drawn on our experience in building Ctrl AI products - developing around how schemes actually operate - with CMS-agnostic, verification-first, and audit-by-design. Ctrl AI is designed to allow teams to enhance their existing systems while meeting the standards they're held to. We're extending this model across more schemes and continuing to grow our integration ecosystem with CMS providers, so more organisations can adopt AI in a way that's practical and trusted."