A coalition of over 100 refugee children's organisations has warned that the UK government's plan to use artificial intelligence to assess the age of young asylum seekers could lead to more children being wrongly placed in adult detention centres or prisons.
The Home Office announced a £322,000 contract with Akhter Computers Ltd to roll out facial age estimation technology on young asylum seekers whose age is disputed. The technology will analyse photographs already taken of small-boat arrivals at Dover, estimating age in seconds.
A report by the Refugee and Migrant Children's Consortium, seen by the Guardian, raises concerns that factors such as trauma, under-nutrition and harrowing journeys could make AI assessments unreliable. The consortium warns that children who do not fit age norms could be misidentified as adults.
The report does not rule out AI entirely but urges the Home Office to use it only as an advisory tool, not a substitute for comprehensive assessments by social workers. It calls for safeguards including access to an appropriate adult, legal advice and the right to challenge decisions.
Home Office data shows that young asylum seekers are more than twice as likely to be recorded as children by social workers than by immigration officers at the border. The consortium warns that automating flawed assessments could increase errors.
Border security minister Alex Norris said the technology would stop adults making 'false claims' and ensure children receive support. The Home Office insists final decisions will remain with immigration officers and that the technology will undergo rigorous testing before national rollout.
