Petition urges Home Office to stop using AI age estimation on asylum-seeking children
Summary
A petition addressed to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood urges the UK government to stop using experimental AI facial age estimation technology on asylum-seeking children. The Home Office admits the tech is less accurate for people of colour and has a ~2.5 year error margin for teenagers, meaning children as young as 14 could be wrongly classified as adults. This could deny them legal protections, place them in inappropriate accommodation, or lead to removal from the UK. The petition argues this is harmful to vulnerable children who have already survived war, violence, and trafficking.
Source
bskyPetition urges Home Office to stop using AI age estimation on asylum-seeking childrenyou.38degrees.org.ukKey quotes
· 3 pulledEven the Home Office admits facial age estimation can be less accurate for people of colour and has an error margin of around 2.5 years for teenagers — the very age group it wants to assess.
A wrong decision could mean a child is treated as an adult, denied protections, placed in inappropriate accommodation, or even face removal from the UK.
Many children seeking asylum have survived war, violence, trafficking and dangerous journeys.
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