Human Measure Foundation

A public office decision made with AI

A public office refused, granted less or imposed a penalty, and you suspect a computer program decided it. Here are 5 steps. You can take them at your own pace.

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This is a template of the guide. The practical tips are general. Everything about legal provisions and deadlines is marked and waiting for a lawyer.

Step 1 of 5

Write down what happened

Do this while you still remember the details. Fill in what you know and leave the rest empty. None of this leaves your browser.

Day, month, year
You will find it in the heading of the letter
Next: Gather documents

Step 2 of 5

Gather your documents

Gather in one place, on paper or in one folder on your phone:

  • the whole decision, including the last page and the instruction on appeal;
  • your application and the confirmation that you submitted it;
  • letters you received earlier;
  • emails and text messages from the office;
  • screenshots, if you handled the case online.

Make copies. Keep the originals for yourself.

Next: Check deadlines

Step 3 of 5

Check the deadlines

At the end of the decision there is usually an instruction: what you can do and how soon. Find it and note the date in your calendar. This step is the most important, because being late can close the way to appeal.

[to be completed by a lawyer] What the deadline to appeal a public office decision is and from when it runs. This information needs legal verification, so we do not state it here.
Next: Ask the office

Step 4 of 5

Ask the office about the role of the system

You can ask the office whether it used an automated system and what that system did. Below is a ready draft of the letter. It fills itself in from what you typed in step 1.

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing about the decision of [date of the decision], case number: [case number]. Please answer the following questions: 1. Was an automated system or artificial intelligence used in making this decision? If so, what is it called and who supplied it? 2. What exactly did this system do (e.g. assess the application, set the order, make a recommendation), and what did the official do? 3. Was the decision made by a person who could have changed it? Who was it (position)? 4. What data about me was taken into account? 5. Please give the full reasons for the decision and state its legal basis: [to be completed by a lawyer]. Please reply in writing. Yours faithfully

Next: Write to the foundation

Step 5 of 5

Write to us

The foundation studies how AI systems treat people. Your story can help us understand the problem, even if today we cannot take on your case.

Open an email to the foundation

Your mail program will open with the draft. You will see it before it is sent. You can change or delete it.

Need help? Contact

The help desk is only planned. Until it launches, please contact us at the email address below.

Email:
fundacja@miara.org.pl

Tell us in your own words what happened. You do not need to know the law. Do not send all your documents at once; a description of the case is enough.

Response time and scope of help We reply as soon as we can, but we do not yet promise a response time or a scope of help. We will set them before the help desk launches.

Your rights

  • [to be completed by a lawyer] Whether and on what basis you have the right to learn that the decision was made automatically.
  • [to be completed by a lawyer] Whether and on what basis you can demand an explanation of how the system reached its result.
  • [to be completed by a lawyer] Whether and on what basis you can demand that a human review the case.

We do not quote legal provisions until a lawyer has checked them. Marker: [to be completed by a lawyer].