AI facial recognition will be used to spot adult migrants posing as children to 'game the system' as human rights campaigners moan plan should be scrapped

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:24, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 08:27, 29 May 2026 AI facial recognition, which will be used to spot adult migrants pretending to be children, has been criticised by human rights campaigners. A Harlow-based software firm, Akhter Computers LTD, has been awarded a new contract by the Home Office to develop the technology this week.  The company are set to test and develop AI technology to be able to estimate a person's age by assessing images taken of them at the border.  It comes as the Home Office declared the tech will make it easier to spot adult migrants who are trying to 'game the system'.  The government department also said initial testing suggested 'promising performance and accuracy'. But the tech, which is set to be introduced in mid-2027, has faced criticism from the Human Rights Watch, who want the scheme axed altogether.  They have argued that the technology is 'unproven' and poses a risk to protections in place for vulnerable children.  Migrant children who arrive on British shores unaccompanied are placed in the care system as opposed to the asylum system, which can be an easier path to staying in the UK.  The scheme, which will cost £322,000 over three years, comes as small boat migrant crossings of the English Channel and asylum claims continue to rise.  In the year ending June 2025, 111,084 claimed asylum in the UK - an increase of over 14 per cent when compared to the year prior.  A group of people arriving at the Border Security Command compound in Dover, Kent on May 27, 2027 It comes as the Home Office has awarded a contract to a tech firm to develop AI facial recognition to determine the age of migrants arriving at the English Channel Meanwhile, more than 6,400 migrants claiming to be children were assessed for their age at the border, with nearly half found to be adults in the year ending March 2026, according to the Home Office. Last year, a report, conducted by the UK government's independent immigration inspector discovered there were several incidents where both migrant children and adults were classed in the incorrect age group. It also concluded that it was 'inevitable that some age assessments will be wrong' in the absence of a 'foolproof' testing method.  It added that the current room for error in age assessments of migrants was 'a cause for concern' particularly in incidents where children were denied rights and protections 'to which they are entitled'.  The Home Office has been testing the tech on various images of people from different gender and ethnicities, including those of asylum seekers, in its system.  However, the results have not yet been used to determine the outcome of any live cases.  The tech is anticipated to be tested in asylum seeker cases at a processing centre in Dover, Western Jet Foil, next year.  Currently, trained immigration enforcement officers carry out age assessment using various procedures such as X-rays, MRI scans and documents.  However the UK government has since determined the AI recognition was the most 'cost-effective option' of analysing an asylum seeker's age.  It has been met with opposition from human rights campaigners, who have called on the Home Office 'to scrap' the 'deeply flawed' scheme.  Your browser does not support iframes. But the tech, which is set to be introduced in mid-2027, has faced criticism from the Human Rights Watch, who want the scheme axed altogether Anna Bacciarelli, a senior AI researcher at campaign group Human Rights Watch, told the BBC: 'The government needs to scrap this deeply flawed approach to assessing child refugees. 'Experimenting with unproven technology to determine whether or not a child should be granted protections they desperately need and are legally entitled to is cruel and unconscionable. 'In addition to subjecting vulnerable children and young people to a dehumanising process that undermines their human rights, we don't actually know if facial age estimation works.' She explained the tech had so far been used in bars and shops but not at migrant processing centres, claiming there was 'no ethical way' to go ahead with such plans. Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said adult migrants 'making false age claims have exploited the system and diverted vital support away from children at risk'. 'That is why we are rolling out AI technology to put a stop to this, ensuring those who game the system are identified, detained and removed without delay, and those who deserve support and protection are given it,' Norris said. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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