A coalition of over 100 refugee children's organisations has condemned UK government plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to assess the age of young asylum seekers, warning it could lead to more children being wrongly placed in adult detention facilities. The Home Office announced a contract to roll out AI facial age estimation technology for young asylum seekers whose age is disputed, sparking concerns from advocacy groups.
The Refugee and Migrant Children's Consortium, in a report seen by the Guardian, highlighted that trauma, under-nutrition, and harrowing journeys can affect young people's appearance, making AI assessments unreliable. The report, titled 'Benchmarks and Borders: the use of facial age estimation to assess the age of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum', does not entirely dismiss AI but cautions against relying on it as a substitute for comprehensive assessments by social workers.
The consortium urges the Home Office to use AI in an advisory capacity only, with safeguards including access to an appropriate adult, legal advice, and a right to challenge decisions. It warns against replacing human errors with machine errors, noting 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.
Home Office minister Alex Norris defended the move, stating that adult migrants making false age claims have exploited the system and diverted support from children. He said AI technology would help identify and remove those 'gaming the system'. The Home Office claims final decisions will remain with immigration officers and that the technology will undergo rigorous testing before national rollout.
Kamena Dorling, co-chair of the consortium, expressed deep concern, noting that AI cannot account for factors like trauma, malnutrition, and exhaustion that affect appearance. Kama Petruczenko of the Refugee Council added that flawed assessments could be automated, risking more children being wrongly placed in adult accommodation or prisons. The Home Office has awarded a £322,000 contract to Akhter Computers Ltd to further develop the technology.
