Automated Decision-Making (ADM)
Decisions made solely by automated means without meaningful human involvement. Under GDPR Article 22, individuals have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing — including profiling — that produce legal effects or similarly significant impacts on them.
Why It Matters
ADM rules give individuals the right to contest algorithmic decisions that significantly affect their lives. Organizations using AI for hiring, lending, insurance, or benefits must ensure human review pathways exist for impacted individuals.
Example
A loan application automatically denied by an AI credit scoring system with no human review triggers GDPR Article 22 protections. The applicant has the right to obtain human intervention, express their point of view, and contest the decision.
Think of it like...
ADM regulation is like requiring a human judge to review a verdict — even if the evidence analysis was automated, someone accountable needs to sign off before the decision takes effect on a person's life.
Related Terms
Right to Explanation
The principle that individuals affected by AI-driven decisions should receive a meaningful explanation of how the decision was made, including the logic involved, the significance of the processing, and its envisaged consequences. Grounded in GDPR and reinforced by the EU AI Act's transparency requirements.
Human-in-the-Loop (HITL)
A system design pattern where a human reviews and approves every AI output before any action is taken. HITL provides the maximum level of human oversight but constrains the system's speed and scalability to the pace of human review.