Explainability Pitfalls: Beyond Dark Patterns in Explainable AI Article Swipe
Upol Ehsan
,
Mark Riedl
·
YOU?
·
· 2021
· Open Access
·
· DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2109.12480
YOU?
·
· 2021
· Open Access
·
· DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2109.12480
To make Explainable AI (XAI) systems trustworthy, understanding harmful effects is just as important as producing well-designed explanations. In this paper, we address an important yet unarticulated type of negative effect in XAI. We introduce explainability pitfalls(EPs), unanticipated negative downstream effects from AI explanations manifesting even when there is no intention to manipulate users. EPs are different from, yet related to, dark patterns, which are intentionally deceptive practices. We articulate the concept of EPs by demarcating it from dark patterns and highlighting the challenges arising from uncertainties around pitfalls. We situate and operationalize the concept using a case study that showcases how, despite best intentions, unsuspecting negative effects such as unwarranted trust in numerical explanations can emerge. We propose proactive and preventative strategies to address EPs at three interconnected levels: research, design, and organizational.
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Metadata
- Type
- preprint
- Language
- en
- Landing Page
- http://arxiv.org/abs/2109.12480
- https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.12480
- OA Status
- green
- Cited By
- 17
- References
- 32
- Related Works
- 10
- OpenAlex ID
- https://openalex.org/W3202538470
All OpenAlex metadata
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https://openalex.org/W3202538470Canonical identifier for this work in OpenAlex
- DOI
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https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2109.12480Digital Object Identifier
- Title
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Explainability Pitfalls: Beyond Dark Patterns in Explainable AIWork title
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preprintOpenAlex work type
- Language
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enPrimary language
- Publication year
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2021Year of publication
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2021-09-26Full publication date if available
- Authors
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Upol Ehsan, Mark RiedlList of authors in order
- Landing page
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https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.12480Publisher landing page
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https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.12480Direct link to full text PDF
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YesWhether a free full text is available
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greenOpen access status per OpenAlex
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https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.12480Direct OA link when available
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Operationalization, Great Rift, Trustworthiness, Computer science, Epistemology, Psychology, Data science, Social psychology, Philosophy, Astronomy, PhysicsTop concepts (fields/topics) attached by OpenAlex
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17Total citation count in OpenAlex
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2025: 3, 2024: 5, 2023: 7, 2022: 2Per-year citation counts (last 5 years)
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10Other works algorithmically related by OpenAlex
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| abstract_inverted_index.pitfalls(EPs), | 36 |
| abstract_inverted_index.organizational. | 133 |
| cited_by_percentile_year | |
| countries_distinct_count | 1 |
| institutions_distinct_count | 2 |
| sustainable_development_goals[0].id | https://metadata.un.org/sdg/16 |
| sustainable_development_goals[0].score | 0.5299999713897705 |
| sustainable_development_goals[0].display_name | Peace, Justice and strong institutions |
| citation_normalized_percentile |