Final answer:
Credit scores are highlighted by McAfee and Brynjolfsson as early examples of fully-automated decision making, utilizing algorithms to assess an individual's credit history without human intervention.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to McAfee and Brynjolfsson, credit scores are one of the earliest examples of fully-automated decision making. A credit score is a numerical expression based on an analysis of a person's credit files to represent the creditworthiness of an individual. This system has been utilized by financial institutions for many years to make quick, reliable, and impartial decisions on whether to grant loans or credit to individuals.
Automated decision-making in this context relates to the complex algorithms used to evaluate an individual's credit history without the need for human intervention. The reason it's considered one of the earliest forms of automation is that the process operates solely based on data-driven assessments, generating a credit score that directly affects the outcome of credit or loan applications.