# UK Watchdog Seeks Details on AI Tools Used in Asylum Cases

By Riza Dagoc

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/regulation/42209
Published: 2026-10-28T01:33:46.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-28T01:33:46.000Z
Section: Regulation

> The systems help caseworkers search policy and summarize interviews. Applicants are not told when the tools are used and cannot review summaries generated about them.

Britain’s Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has asked Open Rights Group for details on two AI tools used in asylum decisions affecting applicants’ ability to stay as it sets its 2027 agenda.

The inspectorate is compiling possible topics for inspection next year. Its request to ORG for details does not mean either system has been selected for review.

The tools use OpenAI’s GPT-4o model, with staff accessing them through Microsoft Azure. Asylum Policy Search gives decision-makers a chat interface for finding country-specific policy information and became available to all decision-makers in July 2025. Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) condenses interview transcripts for caseworkers and reached staff in April 2026.

During the pilot, 9% of ACS summaries were inaccurate or incomplete. Later checks of 203 ACS summaries recorded a 22% failure rate. Subject-matter experts reviewed 0.3% of the roughly 7,000 summaries generated each month.

Asylum applicants are not told when either tool is used in their cases. They also cannot view or correct summaries generated about them. Open Rights Group said a legal opinion it obtained concluded that failing to notify applicants could make the tools unlawful. The group has called for both systems to be suspended and independently audited, arguing that their use falls short of guidance for AI in sensitive settings.

ORG said its inquiry lasted six months and involved 11 parliamentary questions, two letters to ministers and 10 public-records requests. The group also said the Home Office withheld details during its effort to learn how the systems were being used.

The Home Office said asylum decisions remain with trained caseworkers. “Asylum decisions are made by trained caseworkers, with AI tools used only to assist in navigating interview records and policy information,” it said.

The ICIBI is still choosing its 2027 inspection topics. Its request for details does not confirm that either AI system will be examined.