The UK Home Office contracted Akhter Computers Ltd to develop and trial AI facial estimation technology for disputed age cases at Western Jet Foil in Dover starting 2026, with full deployment from mid-2027.

BBC reporting on the award states the tool follows Home Office internal tests on asylum population demographics and will supplement existing document, appearance and demeanour checks by Border Force officers; 6,400 disputed cases in the year ending March 2026 showed 43% reclassified as adults.

The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration 2025 report documented errors in both directions under current methods and concluded no foolproof test exists. Human Rights Watch statements and BASW position papers record concerns over unvalidated accuracy across ethnicities and the assignment of assessments to non-social-work systems.

Contract documents limit initial use to non-decisional trialling; live operational data on error rates by demographic subgroup have not been published.