Is there a 'right to explanation' for machine learning in the GDPR?

Much has been made about the coming effects of the GDPR -- from how organizations collect data to how they use that data and more. But as machine learning gains a more prominent role across organizations, a key question is emerging, and it's baffling lawyers, scholars and regulators alike: How does the GDPR affect machine learning in the enterprise? As in other areas, the GDPR is less than clear. And as a result, the idea that the GDPR mandates a "right to explanation" from machine learning models -- meaning that those significantly affected by such models are due an accounting of how the model made a particular decision -- has become a controversial subject. Some scholars, for example, have spoken out vehemently against the mere possibility that such a right exists.