# On Interpretability of Artificial Neural Networks: A Survey

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2001.02522 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.02522/

## Key facts

- Cited by 88 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 8 Jan 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 88)

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- [On Recurrent Neural Networks for learning-based control: recent results and ideas for future developments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.13557/) (2021)
- [Endowing Interpretability for Neural Cognitive Diagnosis by Efficient Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.14399/) (2024)
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## Abstract (arXiv)

Deep learning as represented by the artificial deep neural networks (DNNs) has achieved great success in many important areas that deal with text, images, videos, graphs, and so on. However, the black-box nature of DNNs has become one of the primary obstacles for their wide acceptance in mission-critical applications such as medical diagnosis and therapy. Due to the huge potential of deep learning, interpreting neural networks has recently attracted much research attention. In this paper, based on our comprehensive taxonomy, we systematically review recent studies in understanding the mechanism of neural networks, describe applications of interpretability especially in medicine, and discuss future directions of interpretability research, such as in relation to fuzzy logic and brain science.
