UK plans to use AI face scans to judge asylum seekers’ ages
The British government plans to roll out a facial‑age estimation system next year that will analyze a person’s face and estimate how old they are. The goal is to help border officers decide whether someone claiming to be a child is truly under 18. This would be the first deployment of such technology on people in real life, rather than online.
- Accuracy Problems
Tests show the software often misreads children as adults and displays a strong bias against certain groups. The best algorithm was less accurate for people from Sub‑Saharan Africa, especially girls, and could mark a 13‑year‑old as an adult. Similar findings appear in other studies, where age estimates vary by race, gender and photo quality.
Policy Failures
The Home Office halted a scientific panel that could have warned about these issues. A former committee member called the scans “hideously inaccurate.” The government insists it will use AI only as an extra tool, and officers can still make their own judgment.Timeline & Funding
Announced in July 2025, the rollout has been pushed to 2027. The UK has spent more than $400,000 on a face‑scanning system from a German company that also misclassifies younger people as older, especially with low‑quality or harshly lit photos. The company claims it is working to reduce bias, but the problem remains.Criticism & Human Rights Concerns
Experts warn that facial age estimation at borders could become routine and strip people of dignity. They argue the risk of error is too high for such a critical decision, especially when people already suffer trauma. Human rights groups have called on the government to abandon the plan.
