An online lender uses an AI model to help decide whether to approve a personal loan application. Company policy requires that every applicant be told when an AI system contributed to the decision and be given a plain-language description of the general factors the model weighed, such as income and credit history. Which responsible AI principle does this disclosure requirement most directly support?

The correct answer is the transparency principle. Disclosing to applicants that an AI system contributed to a loan decision and describing, in plain language, the general factors it weighed is a transparency requirement, since it is aimed at helping people understand how and why a decision was reached. The inclusiveness principle is incorrect because inclusiveness concerns designing a system that works well for people across a broad range of backgrounds and abilities, not disclosing information about how a decision was made. The accountability principle is incorrect because accountability concerns designating specific people or teams responsible for the system's outcomes and governance, not the content or existence of a disclosure given to applicants. The privacy and security principle is incorrect because privacy and security concerns protecting applicants' data from unauthorized access or misuse, whereas the scenario describes explaining decision factors rather than data-handling practices. The lender's policy of telling applicants when AI was involved and summarizing what it considered is squarely about making the decision process understandable to the people affected by it, which is the core aim of transparency among the responsible AI principles.