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Over 100 NGOs Protest UK's Use of AI Age Detection for Young Asylum Seekers

From Der Standard · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Over 100 NGOs are protesting the UK's plan to use AI for estimating the age of asylum seekers.
  • Human Rights Watch calls the decision "cruel and irresponsible," warning that the trauma of flight can alter a child's appearance.
  • The AI system's age estimations will determine the asylum process for arriving refugees, raising concerns about experimenting with unproven technology on vulnerable children.

More than 100 non-governmental organizations are vehemently opposing the United Kingdom's intention to employ artificial intelligence for estimating the age of arriving asylum seekers. Human Rights Watch has labeled the government's decision as "cruel and irresponsible."

These human rights organizations highlight that the profound trauma experienced during a flight from danger can significantly alter a child's physical appearance, potentially leading to inaccurate age assessments by AI. The outcome of these AI estimations will directly influence how the asylum process unfolds for young refugees.

Human Rights Watch criticizes the move as "experimenting with unproven technology to decide whether a child should receive the protection they urgently need and are legally entitled to." The collective voice of over one hundred rights groups underscores deep concerns about the ethical implications and reliability of using AI in such critical decisions affecting vulnerable minors.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Der Standard in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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