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Charity Warns AI Age Checks Could Misclassify Child Refugees as Adults

Is AI facial age estimation vital for border control or does it put child refugees at greater risk?

Published 1 hour ago

Charity Warns AI Age Checks Could Misclassify Child Refugees as Adults

Story

Above: Suspected migrant boats near Ault in France in the English Channel on June 14. Image credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Images/Getty Images

The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

Already, hundreds of children are being locked away as adults because border officials cannot reliably tell their age. A flawed system, but one that by no means AI will fix. Rather, the evidence shows that FAE carries similar errors and glaring racial biases. The government must abandon this folly and instead treat some of the world's most vulnerable with the care that they deserve.

Refugee Council Helen Bamber Foundation

Pro-establishment narrative

At present, numerous adult migrants are attempting to game the system by falsely claiming to be children, diverting critical safeguarding resources away from genuine child refugees in the process. FAE, in conjunction with human judgement, will solve this conundrum, stopping fraud in its tracks and ensuring that real children get the protection they need faster and more efficiently.

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