ML Interpretability: Simple Isn't Easy
Not on the map. Why?
Abstract (arXiv)
The interpretability of ML models is important, but it is not clear what it amounts to. So far, most philosophers have discussed the lack of interpretability of black-box models such as neural networks, and methods such as explainable AI that aim to make these models more transparent. The goal of this paper is to clarify the nature of interpretability by focussing on the other end of the 'interpretability spectrum'. The reasons why some models, linear models and decision trees, are highly interpretable will be examined, and also how more general models, MARS and GAM, retain some degree of interpretability. I find that while there is heterogeneity in how we gain interpretability, what interpretability is in particular cases can be explicated in a clear manner.
Key facts. Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Builds on 4 of its 41 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 24 Nov 2022.
Builds on
4 of 41 references.
References · 4
- 2017Towards A Rigorous Science of Interpretable Machine Learningcited by 1,416
- 2016The Mythos of Model Interpretabilitycited by 721
- 2021The Modern Mathematics of Deep Learningcited by 63
- 2022The no-free-lunch theorems of supervised learningcited by 16
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2023: 1; 2024: 1; 2025: 5.
7 papers.
- 2023Pixel-Grounded Prototypical Part Networkscited by 18
- 2025Interpretable Machine Learning in Physics: A Reviewcited by 14
- 2024This Probably Looks Exactly Like That: An Invertible Prototypical Networkcited by 3
- 2025MSA-CNN: A Lightweight Multi-Scale CNN with Attention for Sleep Stage Classificationcited by 3
- 2025Towards the Formalization of a Trustworthy AI for Mining Interpretable Models explOiting Sophisticated Algorithmscited by 1
- 2025Explainability Through Systematicity: The Hard Systematicity Challenge for Artificial Intelligencecited by 0
- 2025Transparent and Fair Profiling in Employment Services: Evidence from Switzerlandcited by 0
- 2025Towards the Formalization of a Trustworthy AI for Mining Interpretable Models explOiting Sophisticated Algorithms23 Oct 2025
- 2025Transparent and Fair Profiling in Employment Services: Evidence from Switzerland15 Sep 2025
- 2025Explainability Through Systematicity: The Hard Systematicity Challenge for Artificial Intelligence29 Jul 2025
- 2025Interpretable Machine Learning in Physics: A Review30 Mar 2025
- 2025MSA-CNN: A Lightweight Multi-Scale CNN with Attention for Sleep Stage Classification6 Jan 2025
- 2024This Probably Looks Exactly Like That: An Invertible Prototypical Network16 Jul 2024
- 2023Pixel-Grounded Prototypical Part Networks25 Sep 2023