Various forms of new automated technology are being introduced to support the application and interview process, but this does not change the existing Home Office policy of withholding information from applicants.
People applying for asylum in the UK are not being provided with details about the use of artificial intelligence technology in processing their applications, a minister has admitted.
The Home Office revealed last month that caseworkers are now using two AI-powered tools. This includes systems that extract and analyze information from asylum interview records and systems designed to support decision-making by answering policy-relevant questions.
However, the introduction of the automated platform does not change the ministry’s position of providing procedural information to applicants.
“Currently, details of the process and tools are not made available to asylum seekers, and this has not changed even with the inclusion of AI elements in casework,” said Alex Norris, Minister of Border Security and Asylum.
In response to a written parliamentary question from fellow Labor MP Kate Osamor, the minister reiterated that while AI may assist decision-makers in their jobs, it does not itself make decisions.
“Rather than making decisions about asylum claims, AI technology helps analyze data and provides insightful information that can further inform options,” he said. “This is in line with the ‘human participation’ principle.”
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In response to a specific question about automated transcription tools, the Minister added: “The Home Office does not currently use AI software to transcribe refugee interviews or other elements of the refugee determination process. Existing quality control processes run in parallel with data collection, development and two-way feedback mechanisms.”
More AI is set to be introduced into the asylum process in the form of Facial Age Estimation (FAE) tools. Government-led trials are evaluating the effectiveness of the technology by testing 2.5 million images. These, ministers recently claimed, show evidence that they deliver “actionable results” cheaply and quickly.
However, a £1m-plus deal for an algorithm that could accurately predict a subject’s age, which was expected to come into force in February, has yet to be signed.
Sir David Hanson, another Home Secretary, said: “FAE’s procurement results have been delayed due to the testing and evaluation phase taking longer than originally anticipated. This work has now been completed and, subject to the mandatory downtime and completion of contract signatures, a formal contract award notice will be issued shortly.”
Mr Hanson was responding to questions from his Liberal Democrat colleague Baroness Sally Hamwee.
