# An Introduction to String Diagrams for Computer Scientists

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08768 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.08768/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 15 May 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Towards Compositional Interpretability for XAI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.17583/) (2024)
- [FlashAttention on a Napkin: A Diagrammatic Approach to Deep Learning IO-Awareness](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.03317/) (2024)
- [Active Inference in String Diagrams: A Categorical Account of Predictive Processing and Free Energy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.00861/) (2023)
- [Deep Learning with Parametric Lenses](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.00408/) (2024)
- [Towards Transparency in Coreference Resolution: A Quantum-Inspired Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.00688/) (2023)
- [An Algebraic Approach to Moralisation and Triangulation of Probabilistic Graphical Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.11820/) (2025)
- [A Quantum-Inspired Analysis of Human Disambiguation Processes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.07402/) (2024)
- [Bayesian Networks, Markov Networks, Moralisation, Triangulation: a Categorical Perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.09908/) (2025)
- [Weaves, Wires, and Morphisms: Formalizing and Implementing the Algebra of Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.07242/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This document is an elementary introduction to string diagrams. It takes a computer science perspective: rather than using category theory as a starting point, we build on intuitions from formal language theory, treating string diagrams as a syntax with its semantics. After the basic theory, pointers are provided to contemporary applications of string diagrams in various fields of science.