How to Ask Why an Algorithm Said No — GDPR and Counterfactual Explanations
Algorithms now decide things like loans, jobs, and offers.
The law in Europe, the GDPR, gives people some rights to know why.
But opening the whole system is hard and often won't help.
Instead, firms can give simple answers that let you act.
These are called counterfactual explanations.
They show the smallest change you could make to get a different result — for example, a slightly higher income or a missing document — without explaining how the machine thinks.
That means you get useful info to challenge a decision, or to improve your chance next time.
The idea supports three goals: to inform you why a choice happened, to give you grounds to contest it, and to tell you what to change to get a better outcome.
It's practical, not magic.
Companies should share these short, clear notes so people can understand and respond, even if the inner code stays hidden.
This approach helps turn silent machines into things you can actually do something about.
Read article comprehensive review in Paperium.net:
Counterfactual Explanations without Opening the Black Box: Automated Decisionsand the GDPR
🤖 This analysis and review was primarily generated and structured by an AI . The content is provided for informational and quick-review purposes.
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