The Home Office plans to roll out facial age estimation (FAE) at UK borders starting 2027, using AI to scan asylum seekers’ faces and suggest their age. Officials present the tool as an “additional” check for officers who currently rely on visual cues and interviews. Critics warn the system could misclassify children as adults, stripping them of legal protections and could affect detention decisions.

An internal report obtained by WIRED, Lighthouse Reports and The Independent evaluated seven commercial FAE algorithms on more than 2.5 million images. The “best” model still overestimated ages for Sub‑Saharan African females by an average of 4.6 years, meaning a 13‑year‑old could be recorded as 18. Biases also appeared across gender and lighting conditions, raising doubts about reliability in real‑world deployments.

The Home Office dismissed concerns, saying the scans are merely a supplement and that any uncertainty will default to treating the individual as a child pending further assessment. Yet the department disbanded a scientific advisory committee while pursuing the technology, undermining independent oversight. The rollout highlights a clash between border security aims and the risk of irrevocable errors for vulnerable migrants in practice.