If you have anything in your suitcase that you don’t want the authorities to know about, watch out: the European Commission is trying out an artificial intelligence system which will make it easier to detect people travelling with fake ID or who pose a risk to security.

The €4 million iBorderCTRL project will first be tried out in Hungary, Greece and Latvia over a six-month period.

Travellers will use an online application to upload pictures of their passport, visa and proof of funds, then use a webcam to answer questions from a computer-animated border guard.

AI will then analyse the micro-expressions of travellers, based on 38 metrics, to figure out if the interviewee is lying.

At the actual border, travellers flagged as low risk during the pre-screening stage will go through a short re-evaluation of their information for entry using a QR code, while higher-risk passengers will undergo a more detailed check.

Border officials will use a hand-held device to automatically cross-check information, comparing the facial images captured during the pre-screening stage to passports and photos taken on previous border crossings. After the traveller’s documents have been reassessed, and fingerprinting, palm vein scanning and face matching have been carried out, the potential risk posed by the traveller will be recalculated. Only then will a border guard take over from the automated system.

More than 700 million people enter the EU every year – a number that is rapidly rising.

The huge volume of travellers and vehicles is piling pressure on external borders, making it increasingly difficult for border staff to uphold strict security protocols – checking the travel documents and biometrics of every passenger – while keeping disruption to a minimum.