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Automated decision-making (ADM)

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A decision about a person taken by automated means. GDPR Article 22 restricts decisions based solely on automated processing with legal or similarly significant effects 1; after the SCHUFA judgment, a score that lenders treat as determining is itself such a decision 2.

Developed in
ch. 19, GDPR Article 22 after SCHUFA
Chapters
ch. 16, Fairness & XAI · ch. 19, Privacy & AI
Source
2 numbered references, listed below

Where it is used

7 chapters of the Body of Knowledge use the term. Each link opens the first section that does.

Automated decision-making (ADM): mentions per chapter21 mentions of the term across 7 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapterOther chapter00 Preface: 1 mention00 Preface108 Regulatory Map: 7 mentions08 Regulatory Map710 Reading List: 1 mention10 Reading List114 Development: 1 mention14 Development116 Fairness & XAI: 2 mentions16 Fairness & XAI219 Privacy & AI: 5 mentions19 Privacy & AI521 AI Laws Worldwide: 4 mentions21 AI Laws Worldwide4No mentions in the other 16 chaptersSource: the Body of Knowledgev0.5.0
Automated decision-making (ADM): mentions per chapter21 mentions of the term across 7 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapterOther chapter00 Preface: 1 mention1000102030405060708 Regulatory Map: 7 mentions70810 Reading List: 1 mention11011121314 Development: 1 mention1141516 Fairness & XAI: 2 mentions216171819 Privacy & AI: 5 mentions5192021 AI Laws Worldwide: 4 mentions4212223Source: the Body of Knowledge v0.5.0
Mentions per chapter How often each chapter names the term, with the chapters the glossary cross-references drawn solid. The longest bar is where to read the term in use; bars spread across many chapters mark a term that runs through the discipline.
Mentions as a table
Mentions of Automated decision-making (ADM) per chapter
ChapterMentionsCross-referenced
00 Preface1No
01 Definition0No
02 Why Now0No
03 Values & Principles0No
04 The Stack0No
05 Patterns0No
06 The Role0No
07 Maturity Model0No
08 Regulatory Map7No
10 Reading List1No
11 AI Defined0No
12 Governance Program0No
13 Risk Management0No
14 Development1No
15 Deployment0No
16 Fairness & XAI2Yes
17 Incidents0No
18 EU AI Act0No
19 Privacy & AI5Yes
20 Existing Law0No
21 AI Laws Worldwide4No
22 Principles & Standards0No
23 AI Agents0No

Patterns that use this term

One pattern page uses the term.

Automated decision-making (ADM): related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedColour: stack layer of the pattern01 Govern-as-CodeAutomated decision-making (ADM)Related terms (3)Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) · RelatedAlgorithmic Impact AssessmentContest path · RelatedContest pathPIPIA · RelatedPIPIAPatterns using it (1)Use-Case Intake & Risk Tiering, 1 mention · Uses the termUse-Case Intake & Risk Tiering
Automated decision-making (ADM): related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedColour: stack layer of the pattern01 Govern-as-CodeRelated terms (3)Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA) · RelatedAlgorithmic Impact AssessmentContest path · RelatedContest pathPIPIA · RelatedPIPIAPatterns using it (1)Use-Case Intake & Risk Tiering, 1 mention · Uses the termUse-Case Intake & Risk TieringAutomateddecision-making(ADM)
The term's neighbourhood Terms related to this one on solid edges, terms it is often confused with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer. Follow a dashed edge to check the distinction before you use either term.
Neighbourhood as a table
Neighbourhood of Automated decision-making (ADM)
FamilyItemRelation
Related termsAlgorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA)Related
Related termsContest pathRelated
Related termsPIPIARelated
Patterns using itUse-Case Intake & Risk Tiering, 1 mentionUses the term
  • Contest path

    The route by which a person affected by an automated decision reaches a reviewer who did not take the original decision, sees the inputs, the reasons and the…

  • Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA)

    The assessment Canada's Directive on Automated Decision-Making requires before a federal automated decision system goes into production.

  • PIPIA

    China's personal information protection impact assessment under PIPL Articles 55 and 56, required in advance for sensitive data, automated decision-making…

Sources

  1. [1] Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) (Arts. 4(1), 4(5), 4(7), 4(8), 4(12), 4(14), 5, 6, 9, 12(3), 22, 25, 28(2) and 28(4), 30, 33, 35; Recital 26). Publications Office of the EU (EUR-Lex). 2016-04-27. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/eng (verified: primary)
  2. [2] Press release No 186/23: judgment in Case C-634/21, SCHUFA Holding (Scoring) (a credit score is an automated individual decision where lenders give it a determining role). Court of Justice of the EU. 2023-12-07. https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2023-12/cp230186en.pdf (verified: primary)

Definitions of legal terms paraphrase the cited text, which governs. Dated statements are as of .

Cite this term

García Aibar, J. (2026). Automated decision-making (ADM). In AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis & Body of Knowledge (v0.5.0), Glossary. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197. https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/automated-decision-making-adm. CC BY 4.0

BibTeX

@misc{aige2026automateddecisionmakingadm,
  author  = {Jorge García Aibar},
  title   = {{Automated decision-making (ADM)}},
  note    = {Glossary, AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis \& Body of Knowledge, version 0.5.0},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.5281/zenodo.22956197},
  url     = {https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/automated-decision-making-adm}
}