# Explainable Artificial Intelligence Methods in Combating Pandemics: A Systematic Review

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.12705 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.12705/

## Key facts

- Cited by 5 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 55 of its 176 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Dec 2021.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 55)

- [Attention Is All You Need](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03762/) (2017)
- [Grad-CAM: Visual Explanations from Deep Networks via Gradient-based Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.02391/) (2016)
- [A Unified Approach to Interpreting Model Predictions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.07874/) (2017)
- ["Why Should I Trust You?": Explaining the Predictions of Any Classifier](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.04938/) (2016)
- [Deep Learning Face Attributes in the Wild](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.7766/) (2014)
- [Large Scale GAN Training for High Fidelity Natural Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.11096/) (2018)
- [CBAM: Convolutional Block Attention Module](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.06521/) (2018)
- [Learning Deep Features for Discriminative Localization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.04150/) (2015)
- [Deep Inside Convolutional Networks: Visualising Image Classification Models and Saliency Maps](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1312.6034/) (2013)
- [Non-local Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.07971/) (2017)
- [Visualizing and Understanding Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1311.2901/) (2013)
- [Striving for Simplicity: The All Convolutional Net](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.6806/) (2014)
- [Grad-CAM++: Improved Visual Explanations for Deep Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.11063/) (2017)
- [RISE: Randomized Input Sampling for Explanation of Black-box Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.07421/) (2018)
- [GANSpace: Discovering Interpretable GAN Controls](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.02546/) (2020)
- [One pixel attack for fooling deep neural networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.08864/) (2017)
- [Towards Robust Interpretability with Self-Explaining Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.07538/) (2018)
- [Evaluating the visualization of what a Deep Neural Network has learned](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1509.06321/) (2015)
- [All Models are Wrong, but Many are Useful: Learning a Variable's Importance by Studying an Entire Class of Prediction Models Simultaneously](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.01489/) (2018)
- [RETAIN: An Interpretable Predictive Model for Healthcare using Reverse Time Attention Mechanism](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.05745/) (2016)
- [Unsupervised Discovery of Interpretable Directions in the GAN Latent Space](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.03754/) (2020)
- [Understanding the Role of Individual Units in a Deep Neural Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.05041/) (2020)
- [Benchmarking Attribution Methods with Relative Feature Importance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.09701/) (2019)
- [Deep Learning COVID-19 Features on CXR using Limited Training Data Sets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.05758/) (2020)
- [Deep-COVID: Predicting COVID-19 From Chest X-Ray Images Using Deep Transfer Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.09363/) (2020)
- [CovidGAN: Data Augmentation Using Auxiliary Classifier GAN for Improved Covid-19 Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.05094/) (2021)
- [Review of Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Imaging Data Acquisition, Segmentation and Diagnosis for COVID-19](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.02731/) (2020)
- [RetainVis: Visual Analytics with Interpretable and Interactive Recurrent Neural Networks on Electronic Medical Records](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.10724/) (2018)
- [JCS: An Explainable COVID-19 Diagnosis System by Joint Classification and Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.07054/) (2020)
- [Explainable artificial intelligence model to predict acute critical illness from electronic health records](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.01266/) (2019)

## Built on by (most cited first, 5 of 5)

- [Foiling Explanations in Deep Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.14860/) (2022)
- [Explainable AI for clinical risk prediction: a survey of concepts, methods, and modalities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.08407/) (2023)
- [Deciphering knee osteoarthritis diagnostic features with explainable artificial intelligence: A systematic review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.09380/) (2023)
- [Easydiagnos: a framework for accurate feature selection for automatic diagnosis in smart healthcare](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.00366/) (2024)
- [KindSleep: Knowledge-Informed Diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea from Oximetry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.04755/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Despite the myriad peer-reviewed papers demonstrating novel Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solutions to COVID-19 challenges during the pandemic, few have made significant clinical impact. The impact of artificial intelligence during the COVID-19 pandemic was greatly limited by lack of model transparency. This systematic review examines the use of Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) during the pandemic and how its use could overcome barriers to real-world success. We find that successful use of XAI can improve model performance, instill trust in the end-user, and provide the value needed to affect user decision-making. We introduce the reader to common XAI techniques, their utility, and specific examples of their application. Evaluation of XAI results is also discussed as an important step to maximize the value of AI-based clinical decision support systems. We illustrate the classical, modern, and potential future trends of XAI to elucidate the evolution of novel XAI techniques. Finally, we provide a checklist of suggestions during the experimental design process supported by recent publications. Common challenges during the implementation of AI solutions are also addressed with specific examples of potential solutions. We hope this review may serve as a guide to improve the clinical impact of future AI-based solutions.