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xUK plans AI experiment on children seeking asylum
Date: 21st August 2025
Category:
Civil Rights and Freedoms, General measures of implementation
The UK Government plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) face-scanning to decide if asylum seekers are under 18, starting in 2026. Asylum minister Angela Eagle said the technology was chosen because it may be the cheapest option.
This proposal comes despite the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s 2023 recommendation that the UK end unreliable and invasive age assessment procedures and instead develop child- and gender-sensitive processes, led by multidisciplinary professionals and guided by the best interests of the child.
Children’s rights groups warn that the system is untested, could make mistakes, and may wrongly treat children as adults, removing their legal protections. The technology struggles to tell the difference between 17 and 19-year-olds and cannot account for the effects of trauma, poor nutrition, or dangerous journeys on a young person’s appearance. They also highlight that the algorithms cannot explain their results, making it harder for wrongly assessed children to challenge decisions. They also warn of privacy risks and the potential for discrimination. The UK’s chief inspector of borders and immigration recently reported that many young people feel “disbelieved and dismissed” by the Home Office, with their mental health suffering as a result.
Human Rights Watch is calling for government should drop the plan and instead follow recommendations from the UK Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration to fix flawed age assessment processes and use processes that adhere to international standards that are conducted by trained child protection professionals.