Trends in the Digitalisation of EU Borders: How Experimentations with AI for Border Control Treat Migrants as Test Subjects

Border technologies provide great opportunities for efficiency and accuracy, but also potentials for harm. The EU funds research that involves experimental border control technologies, such as lie detectors for incoming third-country nationals, all while claiming that this is ‘just research’. This policy brief shows why developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology for border control in the EU is a concerning trend. Migrants are treated as justifiable test subjects, and AI can accelerate the illegal practice of migration deterrence.