36 minutes agoBritain to use artificial intelligence to verify the age of asylum seekers
Periskopi(a month ago)
(a month ago)The UK will use artificial intelligence to assess the age of asylum seekers starting next year, in an effort to identify adults who appear as children at the border, but the move has triggered criticism from human rights groups and social workers.
According to the Interior Ministry, facial age technology will analyse photos taken in processing to help officers assess whether migrants claiming to be under 18 are actually adults.
The system, developed under a contract of $32,000 ($432,000) given to IT supplier Akhter Computers, will undergo further testing before a planned launch in mid-2027.
The government says early evidence shows “performance and promising accuracy” and argues that the tool will help prevent abuse of the asylum system. Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said adult migrants who made false claims for their age had “exploited the system and had deviated vital support from children at risk”.
The system is expected to be tested on living occasions at the Western Jet Foil processing centre in Dover next year, where officials already conduct age checks using documents, views and interviews.
