AI to catch Channel migrants pretending to be children: Labour launches trial of face recognition technology
The Home Office today announced testing on new technology will begin later this year with the hope it could be fully integrated into the asylum system in 2026.
Ministers admitted that assessing the age of asylum seekers is 'an incredibly complex and difficult task' but said AI might soon provide quick and cost-effective results.
There have long been fears that some of those who cross the Channel in small boats - who often don't carry official documents such as passports - are wrongly claiming to be children.
Unaccompanied minors are more likely to be granted asylum than adults, with some suspected to be faking their ages in a bid to boost their chances of staying in the UK.
In the first half of 2024, a total of 1,317 migrants claiming to be minors at the border were later judged to be adults.
There were a total of 2,122 age disputes raised over the same period.
Currently initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant's physical appearance and demeanour.
The previous Tory government proposed using scientific methods - such as X-rays, CT scans or MRI imaging on key parts of the body - to assess the age of asylum seekers.
Powers to conduct such assessments were passed by MPs as part of the 2022 Nationality and Borders Act, but were not put into practice.
Home Office minister Angela Eagle today revealed the Labour Government has now concluded using AI technology is the most 'cost-effective option'.
In a written statement to Parliament, Ms Eagle - the border security and asylum minister - said: 'Accurately assessing the age of individuals is an incredibly complex and difficult task.
'The Home Office has spent a number of years analysing which scientific and technological methods would best assist the current process, including looking at the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology can play.
'Since coming into office, this Government has commissioned further tests and analysis to determine the most promising methods to pursue further.
'Based on this work, we have concluded that the most cost-effective option to pursue is likely to be Facial Age Estimation, whereby AI technology – trained on millions of images where an individual's age is verifiable– is able to produce an age estimate with a known degree of accuracy for an individual whose age is unknown or disputed.
'In a situation where those involved in the age assessment process are unsure whether an individual is aged over or under 18, or do not accept the age an individual is claiming to be, Facial Age Estimation offers a potentially rapid and simple means to test their judgements against the estimates produced by the technology.'
Ms Eagle noted how online retailers, social media websites and other companies were increasingly adopting AI-powered facial recognition technology as part of online age verification tests.
She added: 'Early assessments suggest that Facial Age Estimation could produce workable results much quicker than other potential methods of scientific or technological age assessment, such as bone X-rays or MRI scans, but at a fraction of the cost, and with no requirement for a physical medical procedure or accompanying medical supervision.'
Labour previously watered down laws, introduced by the Tories, that gave ministers the power to treat asylum seekers who refused to undergo scientific age checks as adults.
The announcement on Tuesday came as the borders watchdog report into Home Office age assessments said it is 'inevitable' that some decisions will be wrong without a 'foolproof test' of chronological age.
The watchdog added this is 'clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled'.
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