AI Adoption Case Study: learn about Yoti's facial age estimation tool!
Read about how Yoti's tool allows businesses to introduce effective age checks without disrupting user experiences.
techUK’s AI adoption collection of case studies showcases examples of how organisations are Putting AI into Action, either through the adoption of AI models within their organisations, or by developing AI tools that can be leveraged by others.
By shining a light on these use cases, techUK hopes to demonstrate examples of best practice from across sectors and from organisations of all sizes.
1. Challenge:
One third of internet users are under the age of 18. With so many young people online, it’s important they have a safe and positive digital experience.
However, a lack of effective age verification online means that organisations can’t design age appropriate services and that some children are accessing inappropriate content.
Businesses and regulators around the world are looking at how to check someone’s age online. However, not everyone owns or has access to an identity document or credit card, and some people might not wish to share this information on lots of different websites each time they need to prove their age.
2. Solution
Yoti AI facial age estimation can determine a person's age from a live facial image, with no need to check identity documents or share personally identifiable information like name or address. The technology can correctly estimate if someone is above or below a certain age. It can be configured to work with age thresholds based on a business’ individual needs or to meet regulatory requirements. For instance, an online retailer could use it to strengthen Challenge 25 age checks, whereas a gaming platform could use it to give players different game features appropriate for their age.
Facial age estimation is an inclusive solution because it does not require people to use an identity document or credit card to prove their age. This is particularly important for children and young people as many don’t own or have access to an identity document.
The technology is quick, easy and simple to use with each age estimation taking around one second. This allows businesses to introduce effective age checks without adding unnecessary friction to the user experience.
Facial age estimation is also very private - there is no sharing of personally identifiable information like names, dates of birth or email addresses. The business only receives the age status (such as ‘yes this user is over 18’). This allows people to prove their age online anonymously. The image used to estimate someone’s age is immediately deleted once their age has been determined. This means there is no big database or honey pot of data for hackers to target.
3. Barriers:
Fairness: it’s important that the technology can help as many people as possible to prove their age in a privacy-preserving, effective and secure way. Therefore, the technology needs to work fairly for different ages, skin tones and genders.
Diverse data set collected in line with GDPR: to achieve this, the technology has been trained with diverse data. The source of the majority of Yoti’s training set comes from individuals from around the world who are over 13 and have added identity documents to the Yoti app and are informed about Yoti using their face and month and year of birth to train our age estimation technology. This means Yoti has a diverse set of 13-17 year olds as well as 18-70 year olds to train our algorithm. They’re able to opt-out of this processing at any time from within the app settings.
Where there are gaps in the data, Yoti performs data collection exercises by purchasing data from vetted suppliers - all collected with consent and in line with GDPR.
Explainability & regulatory recognition: ensuring the technology is recognised by regulators and explaining how it works in plain English for the people who use it is key.
Yoti was selected to take part in the UK ICO Sandbox ahead of the UK Age Appropriate Design Code. Within the Sandbox, Yoti both extended the reach of the tool from age 6-70, and developed child friendly privacy terms and simple explainer materials, based on the Unicef principles for explaining AI to children.
Yoti’s facial age estimation technology has been approved by the German regulator, KJM, for the highest level of age assurance. This means it can be used for 18+ adult content.
Yoti has been cited in regulatory Ofcom guidance, in terms of effective age assurance for the VSP regime and age checking for adult content.
Yoti regularly publishes straight forward white papers detailing the accuracy rates of our algorithm.
Yoti writes and publishes content explaining how the technology works and why it is not facial recognition. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has helpfully published a description of the difference between facial recognition and facial age estimation.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has begun an independent, global benchmarking programme, which gives regulators, businesses and the general public confidence in the efficacy and accuracy of facial age estimation. Yoti facial age estimation is one of the first to be independently tested by NIST.
Yoti runs regulatory roundtables to engage with civil society, the media, businesses and regulators to explain how facial age estimation works, and to build trust and understanding in the technology.
4. Impact:
Leading brands have chosen Yoti facial age estimation as an age checking method to improve online safety and create age-appropriate experiences, including Instagram, Sony PlayStation, Epic Games, Yubo, XHamster, Lockwood Publishing, Facebook Dating and OnlyFans. So far, Yoti has completed over 650 million age checks worldwide.
Yoti has worked with Instagram since 2022 to help them verify the ages of their users. 81% of individuals choose facial age estimation over uploading an identity document when asked to prove their age. As an additional step, Instagram has now introduced Teen Accounts where users under 18 are, by default, given the strictest privacy settings on their accounts.
Following the success on Instagram, Meta also uses facial age estimation on Facebook Dating. This ensures that only adults can sign up and use the service, an important step in protecting children and young people online.
Kids Web Services, part of Epic Games, is using Yoti facial age estimation as part of its parental verification and consent tool. Over 6.5 million parents have successfully used facial age estimation to prove their age to grant parental consent online.
OnlyFans uses facial age estimation as a secure, privacy-preserving and robust way of age-checking their users, ensuring only adults can access their 18+ platform.
In December 2023, Ofcom announced their draft guidance on highly effective age checks to stop children accessing online adult content. The guidance stated that operators must take care to implement privacy-preserving age assurance systems. Facial age estimation has been recognised by Ofcom as a ‘highly effective’ method for this purpose.
As regulation continues to evolve around the world, businesses are choosing to use facial age estimation as an effective yet frictionless way of checking age.
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Guest blog from Becky Davis, Consulting Director for AI at Sopra Steria Next UK, as part of our #SeizingTheAIOpportunity campaign week 2025.Luke BellamyChief Technology OfficerResolutiion
Usman joined techUK in January 2024 as Programme Manager for Artificial Intelligence.
He leads techUK’s AI Adoption programme, supporting members of all sizes and sectors in adopting AI at scale. His work involves identifying barriers to adoption, exploring solutions, and helping to unlock AI’s transformative potential, particularly its benefits for people, the economy, society, and the planet. He is also committed to advancing the UK’s AI sector and ensuring the UK remains a global leader in AI by working closely with techUK members, the UK Government, regulators, and devolved and local authorities.
Since joining techUK, Usman has delivered a regular drumbeat of activity to engage members and advance techUK's AI programme. This has included two campaign weeks, the creation of the AI Adoption Hub (now the AI Hub), the AI Leader's Event Series, the Putting AI into Action webinar series and the Industrial AI sprint campaign.
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In 2025, Sue was honoured with an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to the Technology Industry in the New Year Honours List.
She has been recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist and in 2021 was inducted into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame.
A key influencer in driving forward the data agenda in the UK, Sue was co-chair of the UK government's National Data Strategy Forum until July 2024. As well as being recognised in the UK's Big Data 100 and the Global Top 100 Data Visionaries for 2020 Sue has also been shortlisted for the Milton Keynes Women Leaders Awards and was a judge for the Loebner Prize in AI. In addition to being a regular industry speaker on issues including AI ethics, data protection and cyber security, Sue was recently a judge for the UK Tech 50 and is a regular judge of the annual UK Cloud Awards.
Prior to joining techUK in January 2015 Sue was responsible for Symantec's Government Relations in the UK and Ireland. She has spoken at events including the UK-China Internet Forum in Beijing, UN IGF and European RSA on issues ranging from data usage and privacy, cloud computing and online child safety. Before joining Symantec, Sue was senior policy advisor at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Sue has an BA degree on History and American Studies from Leeds University and a Masters Degree on International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Birmingham. Sue is a keen sportswoman and in 2016 achieved a lifelong ambition to swim the English Channel.
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Tess Buckley
Programme Manager - Digital Ethics and AI Safety, techUK
A digital ethicist and musician, Tess holds a MA in AI and Philosophy, specialising in ableism in biotechnologies. Their professional journey includes working as an AI Ethics Analyst with a dataset on corporate digital responsibility, followed by supporting the development of a specialised model for sustainability disclosure requests. Currently at techUK as programme manager in digital ethics and AI safety, Tess focuses on demystifying and operationalising ethics through assurance mechanisms and standards. Their primary research interests encompass AI music systems, AI fluency, and technology created by and for differently abled individuals. Their overarching goal is to apply philosophical principles to make emerging technologies both explainable and ethical.
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Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK
Laura Foster
Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK
Laura is techUK’s Associate Director for Technology and Innovation.
She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies, including Quantum Computing, High-Performance Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies, across the UK. As part of this, she works alongside techUK members and UK Government to champion long-term and sustainable innovation policy that will ensure the UK is a pioneer in science and technology
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Prior to joining the techUK team, she worked for the UK Labour Party and New Zealand Labour Party, and holds an MA in Strategic Communications at King’s College London and BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Manchester. She is currently taking part in the 2024-25 University of Bath Institute for Policy Research Policy Fellowship Programme.
Audre joined techUK in July 2023 as a Policy Manager for Data. Previously, she was a Policy Advisor in the Civil Service, where she worked on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and at HM Treasury on designing COVID-19 support schemes and delivering the Financial Services and Markets Bill. Before that, Audre worked at a public relations consultancy, advising public and private sector clients on their communications, public relations, and government affairs strategy.
Prior to this, Audre completed an MSc in Public Policy at the Korea Development Institute and a Bachelor's in International Relations and History from SOAS, University of London. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, learning about new cultures through travel and food, and going on adventures.
Edward leads the Digital Economy programme at techUK, which includes our work on online safety, fraud, and regulation for growth initiatives.
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Before moving to the UK, Heather worked at the Office of the Prime Minister of The Bahamas and the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Heather holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from BPP, a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from LSE, and a BA in Economics and Sociology from Macalester College.