The Home Office has announced plans to deploy controversial artificial intelligence (AI) facial estimation technology to assess the age of migrants arriving via small boats at the UK border, starting next year. The technology will be used on asylum seekers shortly after their arrival at the reception centre in Western Jet Foil, Dover, following perilous Channel crossings.
Concerns Over Accuracy
Experts have raised doubts about the technology's ability to accurately account for the ageing effects of traumatic journeys, past torture, and abuse, which can make individuals appear older. Charities and campaigners have warned that this move amounts to an "experiment on migrants" with potentially "serious, life-changing consequences."
The Independent recently revealed that at least 755 children were wrongly placed in adult accommodation or detention last year after officials concluded they were adults during visual assessments at the border. Government data published for the first time shows that in the year to March 2026, 6,420 people underwent initial age assessments—equivalent to 7 per cent of asylum claimants. Of these, 43 per cent were found to be adults, while 57 per cent were deemed children.
Between July and December 2025, 326 migrant children were initially designated as adults before the decision was overturned, with a further 377 individuals still awaiting a decision on their age.
Government Justification
Announcing the plan on Friday, the Home Office stated that adults arriving in the UK were falsely claiming to be children to avoid detention and removal. Officials described the AI tech as an "additional tool" for immigration enforcement. A £322,000 contract has been awarded to Akhter Computers Ltd to test and develop the AI tools before a full rollout in 2027.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said: "For too long, adult migrants making false age claims have exploited the system and diverted vital support away from children at risk. That is why we are rolling out AI technology to put a stop to this, ensuring those who game the system are identified, detained and removed without delay, and those who deserve support and protection are given it. We will continue to do whatever it takes to secure our borders."
Criticism from Charities
Kamena Dorling, director of policy at the Helen Bamber Foundation, described the proposals as "deeply concerning." She said: "AI cannot account for the factors that can significantly affect a young person's appearance after fleeing conflict and persecution and undertaking dangerous journeys, including trauma, malnutrition, and exhaustion. Existing evidence also shows that AI faces the same problems with bias and inaccuracy as human decision-making, with similar patterns of errors."
She added: "Age assessments should be carried out by trained social workers, and urgent changes are needed to the use of visual age assessments at the border so that children are not left at risk."
