Home Office used ‘AI hallucinated’ information to refuse asylum claim, judge suggests

A senior judge has called into question the actions of the UK's Home Office, accusing them of relying on information that may have been generated by artificial intelligence rather than actual fact. The judge made this assertion while reviewing a case involving a Moroccan woman and her child who fled their country after experiencing extreme violence and forced underage marriage.

The woman had claimed asylum in the UK due to her fear of being killed by her husband, a convicted criminal. However, the Home Office initially refused her application, citing evidence from a country policy information note (CPIN) that allegedly confirmed Morocco to be a safe country for her return.

Upon further review, it became clear that this document did not exist. The Home Office initially claimed that the CPIN could be found in an online archive, but when the document couldn't be located, they produced an alternative document: a piece of unpublished internal guidance.

The judge has suggested that this alternative document may have been generated by artificial intelligence and relied upon by the Home Office, rather than actual facts. This claim has been met with criticism, with the judge comparing it to relying on "bogus evidence". The court has ultimately determined that this issue constitutes a "procedural irregularity", however its findings have left concerns about the use of potentially flawed data in asylum claims unresolved.