Home Office plans facial recognition tool to identify adults posing as children, as watchdog urges stronger safeguards and training in age assessments
The UK will employ artificial intelligence to estimate the age of asylum seekers beginning next year, in an effort to identify adults posing as children at the border, but the move has sparked criticism from rights groups and social workers.
According to the Home Office, the facial age-estimation technology will analyze photographs taken during processing to help officers assess whether migrants claiming to be under 18 are actually adults.
The system, developed under a £322,000 ($432,000) contract awarded to IT supplier Akhter Computers, will undergo further testing before a planned rollout in mid-2027.
The government says early trials show “promising performance and accuracy” and argues the tool will help prevent abuse of the asylum system. Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris said adult migrants making false age claims had “exploited the system and diverted vital support away from children at risk."
Rising concerns
The system is expected to be trialed in live cases at the Western Jet Foil processing center in Dover next year, where officials already carry out age checks using documents, appearance, and interviews.
But the plan has triggered concerns from human rights organizations and professional bodies. Human Rights Watch warned the approach is unproven and risks undermining protections for vulnerable children.
The move comes alongside findings from a government inspection report that called for improved training, better data sharing, and stronger engagement with external stakeholders in the Home Office’s age assessment system.
It also warned that current processes can lead to both adults being treated as children and children being misclassified as adults, creating “significant” safeguarding risks.
