Mieke Boon, full professor Philosophy of Science in Practice in the Philosophy Section at the University of Twente, is keynoting the 14th International Conference on Formal Ontology in Information Systems (FOIS 2024), being held at the University of Twente from 15-19 July 2024.
This keynote address at FOIS 2024 delves into the epistemological aspects of AI explainability. Drawing on the perspective of Logical Empiricism, the talk examines Carl Hempel's covering law theory of scientific explanation, which posits that laws derived from inductive reasoning explain specific events. However, this account faces challenges, such as distinguishing between accidental regularities and genuine laws, leading to the exploration of explainability in machine learning (ML). While ML models provide accurate predictions, their opacity prompts the need for explanations behind these predictions. Explainable ML (XML) aims to extract reasons for predictions but may struggle to provide genuine explanations akin to shortcomings in Hempel's theory. Instead, the talk advocates for a mechanistic view of explanation, suggesting that ML explainability should be sought outside the ML models, within a conceptual model (CM) of the real-world phenomenon. The CM guides the construction of ML models, ensuring relevance of variables and facilitating explanations of outcomes. Consequently, ML models serve as instruments for quantitative analysis, while the CM serves as the explanatory framework, grounding explanations in the understanding of the target phenomenon. This approach shifts the focus from the inner workings of ML models to the broader conceptual understanding of the phenomena they seek to explain, providing a more robust foundation for AI explainability.
For more information: FOIS conference website
