OP PAPER TRAIL
She had the stronger resume. The machine gave her 41 out of 100.
A hiring AI rejected a qualified candidate. You have 48 hours to find out why, before the complaint becomes a filing.
All companies, people, and incidents in The Black Box Files are fictional; any resemblance to real ones is coincidental. This is an educational training aid, not legal advice, not a compliance certification, and not an audit. The techniques draw on real research: AI Fairness and Inclusivity: case file.
For educators: objectives and framework mapping
Act 1: The Call
- State the disparity plainly: who was rejected, who was hired, and what the score claims to measure.Measure 2.9 | Art. 10 | Risk assessment
Act 2: The Wrong Suspect
- Distinguish the obvious suspect from the evidence; explain why a validation study can be technically true and practically empty.Map 5.1 | Art. 10 | Bias and fairness
Act 3: The Data
- Run a disparity analysis yourself; define proxy feature and the 4/5ths rule from your own results.Measure 2.1, Measure 2.9 | Art. 9, Art. 10 | Bias and fairness, Impact assessment
Act 4: The Squeeze
- Weigh competing pressures from the client, the press, and the law, and make a defensible point-of-no-return decision.Govern 4.2, Manage 1.1 | Art. 11 | Accountability
Act 5: The Verdict
- Assemble a structured finding: mechanism, why it matters, who is responsible, what must change.Govern 5.1 | Art. 11 | Accountability, Transparency
Open the companion article: why this case matters, with real cases and primary sources
Case questions
Questions about this case
Is Northgate Freight a real company?
No. Every company, person, and incident in this case is fictional. The patterns it teaches, proxy features, referral laundering, and thin validation, are drawn from publicly documented problems in hiring AI.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
No. The case runs entirely in your browser. Your progress is stored on your own device and can be cleared at any time.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is an educational investigation. Nothing here is legal advice, a compliance certification, or an audit.