Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

---

Credit scores have been used for decades to assess consumer creditworthiness, but their scope is far greater now that they are powered by algorithms: not only do they consider vastly more data, in both volume and type, but they increasingly affect whether you can buy a car, rent an apartment, or get a full-time job.

We meet:
Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney at National Consumer Law Center
Michele Gilman, professor of law at University of Baltimore
Mike de Vere, CEO Zest AI

Credits: This episode was produced by Jennifer Strong, Karen Hao, Emma Cillekens and Anthony Green. We’re edited by Michael Reilly.