UK Plans AI Facial Age Estimation for Asylum Seekers Amid Accuracy and Bias Concerns

The Home Office will roll out facial age estimation (FAE) AI at UK ports from 2025 to assess the age of asylum seekers arriving by small boats. A £322,000 contract with German firm Cognitec Systems, via IT provider Akhter Computers, will supply the algorithm, which officials say will assist immigration officers but will not replace human judgement.

The Independent

An internal Home Office test of seven commercial FAE systems found the best model still over-estimated ages, labeling most 17-year-olds as 18+. Misclassification rose from one-third of 16-year-olds on high-quality visa photos to nearly 70 % on low-quality border images; NIST data showed over two-thirds misidentified 16-year-olds on US border photos. Errors were highest for Sub-Saharan African migrants—who comprised 36 % of 2025 age-assessment cases—especially females, whose ages were off by an average of 4.6 years.

Asylum by Algorithm

The Age Estimation Science Advisory Committee (AESAC) was dissolved in July 2025, just before the AI rollout. Former members Tim Cole and Denise Syndercombe-Court say they were excluded; Cole called the scans “hideously inaccurate,” while the Home Office deemed the committee’s expertise “not relevant.”

Wired Magazine

The Home Office says it has “rigorous processes” for age verification and presents FAE as an “assistive tool” that does not overrule human judgement, emphasizing cost-effectiveness and child protection.

The Independent

Human Rights Watch’s Anna Bacciarelli warns of automation bias, while Foxglove’s Martha Dark, leading a coalition of 60 NGOs, calls the rollout “experimental tech with baked-in inaccuracy and racist bias.” Academics argue the documented bias makes the tool unsuitable for high-stakes decisions.

Asylum by Algorithm

• “We were keen to highlight the inadequacies of facial age estimation, but this opportunity was not presented to us, and then the committee was shut down,” — Tim Cole, emeritus professor of medical statistics, UCL

Wired Magazine

• “hideously inaccurate.” — Tim Cole, on the facial age scans

Wired Magazine

• “This really is a world-first. If it goes ahead in the UK, other countries at entry points across Europe are likely to follow suit and use of this inaccurate and invasive technology could become widespread.” — Anna Bacciarelli, senior researcher, Human Rights Watch

Asylum by Algorithm

• “experimental tech that has baked-in inaccuracy and racist bias” — Martha Dark, co-executive director, Foxglove

The Independent

The UK trial may set a precedent for EU states; the European Parliament has already debated AI age checks. The Home Office has tasked the National Physical Laboratory with an independent review, while legal challenges could shape age-threshold settings that balance child protection against adult misclassification.

Wired Magazine