Governance, Law & Compliance
Right to explanation
The idea or legal right that people should receive meaningful information about certain automated decisions.
Example
A rejected applicant can request meaningful information about the automated decision.
Why it matters
Meaningful explanations help people spot mistakes and understand decisions that affect their lives.
You'll hear it
“What factors led to this decision, and how can I challenge an error?”
Can you control it?
Sometimes
Sometimes. An organization can define or influence a right to explanation through its policies, processes, contracts, and product choices. Individual users may have fewer controls.
Common questions
- Does this always mean access to the model's code?
- No. A useful explanation and a legal entitlement to source code are different matters.
- Is the right identical in every country?
- No. Legal protections depend on the location, decision and applicable rules.
- Is a technical score a sufficient explanation?
- Not necessarily. People may need understandable reasons and context to make sense of the outcome.