Algorithms are judging you on your credit scores. But are they getting it right?

The black box of the algorithm dictates that no one person really knows what data--or what combinations of data--will prove significant. While companies are generally up-front about what data is input to refine and upgrade the decision-making processes, the black box of the algorithm dictates that no one person really knows what data--or what combinations of data--will prove significant. With a little trial and error, for example, Joe Deville, a researcher at Lancaster University in the U.K., discovered that simply changing the screen resolution on his phone seemed to result in a different score for some algorithmic lenders, while others have suggested that actions as mysterious as charging your phone more often may produce a more favorable result. Meanwhile, the chief executive of Branch speaks whimsically of their machine-learning algorithm as a "robot in the sky" -- a kind of AI fairy that makes lending decisions based on whether its users are naughty or nice. If you're unhappy with the number that emerges from the black box, there's little you can do to change or dispute it.