As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent in various industries, the need for explainable AI (XAI) is growing. XAI refers to systems that are able to clearly and transparently explain their decision-making processes to human users. This is becoming increasingly important due to regulatory and consumer pressures for transparency.
In the past, AI systems provided explainable results. However, as AI models became more sophisticated and specialized, explainability was sacrificed for performance. This is no longer acceptable, as regulations such as the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) require organizations to be transparent about their AI decision making.
Governments and regulatory bodies also see the lack of explainability in AI as a risk to society. They are taking a serious stance on the enforcement of explainable AI in systemically important industries. This means organizations must understand and make explainable their automated decision-making processes.
XAI is crucial because it provides professionals with insight into why a system is making certain decisions and identifies what data can be trusted. This insight can be achieved through metadata that maps out the steps the AI took with each piece of data to arrive at a conclusion. It allows humans to make final decisions and recommendations based on this information.
XAI is also important in addressing bias in AI systems. It allows professionals to identify and weed out processes that stem from bias. While imperfect data is inevitable, XAI ensures that the output of AI models is reviewed with a human eye and conscience.
Successful implementation of XAI requires human involvement throughout the process. Organizations must involve people with different skill sets and perspectives to ensure ethical and unbiased AI systems. Policies around XAI should be created alongside data privacy, security, and compliance rules. These policies should not only capture requirements but also the spirit and intent behind them.
It is also important to understand where XAI matters most and what it means for specific decisions. Instead of chasing universal definitions of explainability, organizations should focus on applying XAI to different situations and developing working models. They should then incorporate these models into their policies while keeping the ethical spirit at the core.
XAI incorporates transparency into AI models by design. When businesses are questioned about AI system issues, engineers can work backwards from the recommendation to provide answers. XAI provides full insight into AI systems, allowing organizations to make better decisions and create trustworthy and transparent AI models.