AI age screening in UK risks classing child refugees as adults:
2026-07-29
Arab News
The information displayed in the AIM should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries.
The UK Home Office's use of AI-powered facial age-estimation technology to screen migrants has led to hundreds of child refugees being wrongly classified as adults. Rights groups warn the system is racially biased, particularly against Black children, resulting in wrongful detention and exposure to harm. Calls for policy reversal continue.[AI generated]
Why's our monitor labelling this an incident or hazard?
The AI system (facial age-estimation technology) is explicitly mentioned and is used in the screening process. Its use has directly led to harm by misclassifying children as adults, exposing them to detention and removal, which are harmful outcomes. The harm includes violations of fundamental rights and risks to health and safety of children. The racial bias and significant margin of error in the AI system's age estimation further exacerbate these harms. Therefore, this event qualifies as an AI Incident due to the realized harm caused by the AI system's use in this context.[AI generated]