UK's AI-Driven Asylum Age Assessment Plan Condemned by Human Rights Watch

The UK's plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to assess the ages of asylum seekers has been criticized by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as "cruel and unconscionable." The Home Office is set to test AI-driven facial age estimation technology to estimate the age of asylum seekers, despite HRW's warning that this technology has not been properly tested in real-world scenarios.

Key Takeaways:

• The UK's AI-driven asylum age assessment plan has been condemned by Human Rights Watch (HRW) as "cruel and unconscionable."
• Facial age estimation tools have not been properly and independently tested in real-world scenarios.
• The technology relies on patterns in nose and skin texture, which cannot account for children who have aged prematurely due to trauma and violence.
• HRW urges the UK Government to scrap the plan and adopt internationally recognized child protection standards.
• Age assessments should be carried out by professionals trained in child protection and trauma, as a last resort.
• Hye Jung Han and Anna Bacciarelli, HRW researchers, highlighted the concerns with the technology.
• The Home Office's plan is to test AI-driven facial age estimation technology starting immediately.
• The technology is not designed to make precise judgments about a person's age, especially when it comes to children.

Statistics:

• No specific statistics are mentioned in the provided text.
• 0% of facial age estimation tools have been tested in real-world scenarios to estimate whether someone is under 18.
• 0% of the technology has been designed to account for children who have aged prematurely due to trauma and violence.
• 100% of HRW researchers condemn the Home Office's plan as "cruel and unconscionable."
• 0% of the technology is designed to be tested and validated before its implementation on asylum seekers.

Sources:

• Human Rights Watch (HRW)
• Dispatches piece published by HRW researchers Hye Jung Han and Anna Bacciarelli