  We summarize the potential impact that the European Union's new General Data
Protection Regulation will have on the routine use of machine learning
algorithms. Slated to take effect as law across the EU in 2018, it will
restrict automated individual decision-making (that is, algorithms that make
decisions based on user-level predictors) which "significantly affect" users.
The law will also effectively create a "right to explanation," whereby a user
can ask for an explanation of an algorithmic decision that was made about them.
We argue that while this law will pose large challenges for industry, it
highlights opportunities for computer scientists to take the lead in designing
algorithms and evaluation frameworks which avoid discrimination and enable
explanation.
