Artificial intelligence to be trialled for disputes over asylum seekers’ ages

Artificial intelligence technology will be trialled to assess disputed ages of asylum seekers who say they are children, the Home Office has said.

Ministers hope to roll out facial age estimation for migrants arriving by small boats and lorries over 2026, subject to further testing of the technology to go ahead this year.

The technology, trained on millions of images of people with confirmed ages, has been decided as the “most cost-effective option” to assess ages in such cases where it is unknown or disputed, according to border security minister Dame Angela Eagle.

The announcement on Tuesday comes 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”.

Currently initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant’s physical appearance and demeanour.

Announcing the move, Dame Angela said in a written statement: “Accurately assessing the age of individuals is an incredibly complex and difficult task, and 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.

“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.”

It comes as borders watchdog David Bolt’s report also published on Tuesday looked at Home Office processes into age assessments, where those crossing the English Channel and first processed at Western Jet Foil, in Dover, Kent, make up a bulk of initial age decisions.

Between January 2023 and January 2025, Mr Bolt said 20 out of 59 cases where a person was sent to Manston processing centre as an adult were then later sent back to Western Jet Foil and accepted as being a child.

The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration said: “The environment at Western Jet Foil, and the physical and mental condition of the migrants after a long, arduous, and perilous journey, make the already difficult task of assessing age even more challenging.”

The report, which does not cover the Home Office’s fresh announcement on using artificial intelligence, calls for officials to involve interpreters, social workers and experts in the process to gain more confidence in its decisions.

Mr Bolt said many organisations who advocate for children believe the initial age decision process is “crude and cruel”.

He added: “Over the years, and again during this inspection, I have listened to young people who felt disbelieved and dismissed by the Home Office, whose hopes have been crushed, and whose mental health has suffered.

“The Home Office has an uphill task in persuading these critics that it can be trusted in this area. Committing to better communication, engagement and collaboration would be a start.”

During the visit, inspectors saw examples of a lack of cultural awareness, decisions that relied on generic physical characteristics, and questioning that focused on the migrant’s credibility which should not form the basis of an age decision.

Mr Bolt also cited concerns from local authorities and NGOs of examples of young people who felt pressured into signing a Home Office “statement of age” document to say they were over 18 years old, or had not understood what they had been asked to sign.

The chief inspector also called for both the Home Office and its critics to agree that some initial age decisions, that are opinion, are wrong, and that some migrants lie about their age.

He added that this means not having a type of initial age assessment risks incentivising more to do so, which is not in the best interests of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Responding to the report, the Home Office accepted all recommendations, including to carry out an evaluation of initial age decision training, and publish guidance on processes needed before someone signs the “statement of age” form.

The Refugee Council welcomed the Government’s response to the report, but also called for caution over the use of AI to determine ages.

Chief executive of the charity Enver Solomon said: “We welcome the decision to abandon intrusive scientific methods like X-rays and MRI, which we have long called for, but we are not convinced that replacing them with AI tools is the answer.

“These technologies continue to raise serious questions about accuracy, ethics and fairness.

“We call on the Government to implement reforms that prioritise professional assessments led by trained social workers, which is the most accurate way to determine age and ensure that every child is properly identified, supported, and given the chance to recover and thrive.”

Published: 22/07/2025 by Radio NewsHub