The UK government’s plans to implement facial age estimation (FAE) technology at its borders have raised serious concerns about the potential for life-altering errors. Starting in 2027, this cutting-edge AI tech will assist in determining the age of asylum seekers, many of whom lack documentation to prove their age. However, an investigation has uncovered troubling inaccuracies and biases in these systems, particularly when assessing Sub-Saharan African migrants.
The controversy surrounds the UK’s attempt to crack down on fake claims from adults attempting to game the system by posing as minors. While the Home Office maintains that FAE will serve as an additional tool for border officers and not replace or overrule human judgmentthe technology’s flaws could have severe consequences for vulnerable individuals.
Systemic Inaccuracies and Biases in Facial Age Estimation
An internal UK government report obtained by investigators details the testing of seven FAE algorithms, with the best performing algorithm still showing significant inaccuracies. The system demonstrated substantial deviations when estimating the ages of Sub-Saharan Africans, the largest group of migrants entering the UK via the English Channel. For female Sub-Saharan Africans, the average age estimation error was 4.6 years, potentially misclassifying a 13.5-year-old girl as an 18-year-old adult.
The investigation also revealed that the Home Office disbanded a scientific committee designed to advise on broader age estimation methods while exploring AI implementation. Tim Cole, an emeritus professor of medical statistics at University College London’s Institute of Child Health and former committee member, described the face scans as hideously inaccurate. This decision to disband the committee raises questions about the government’s commitment to addressing the technology’s shortcomings.
Real-World Challenges and Ethical Concerns
The leaked Home Office report highlighted that the few photos included in the testing data taken at initial encounters were routinely worse than follow-up photos. The poor quality of these images, combined with the physical condition of asylum seekers after stressful journeys, further compounds the accuracy issues. The report concluded that more research is needed to understand the impacts of stress on FAE systems’ performance.
Experts warn that the use of FAE technology at borders could be dehumanizing for the people it impacts and may become normalized for staff. Anna Bacciarelli, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, expressed concerns about the technology’s potential to become entrenched, stating that the risks in every component of this system make it not worth pursuing to tackle migration issues.
The Broader Implications of AI in Age Verification
Over the past five years, AI face scans have become a key component of controversial online age verification programs. However, the results can vary widely depending on the algorithm, a person’s gender, demographic details, and image quality. The Home Office’s push to implement this technology despite known issues raises ethical questions about its suitability for high-stakes scenarios.
The UK government first announced its plans to use FAE alongside border staff judgments in. Since then, the Home Office has delayed the rollout until 2027, citing the need for further testing and refinement. However, the internal report suggests that the technology may never achieve the necessary accuracy to be reliably used in age assessments.
As governments around the world increasingly adopt anti-migrant policies and invest in surveillance technology, the case of the UK’s FAE implementation serves as a cautionary tale. The potential for life-altering errors and the lack of transparency in the technology’s development and deployment raise serious concerns about its ethical use.
