Philosophy of Explainable AI: New Directions

We invite abstracts for our forthcoming workshop, Philosophy of Explainable AI: New Directions, to be held at Aarhus University on July 7 - 9, 2026. The workshop aims to bring together scholars working on the philosophical dimensions of explainability/interpretability/transparency in machine learning, to share recent work and discuss future directions for the field. We have invited a number of keynotes to be announced in due course.

The conference is part of the TREAT project (https://projects.au.dk/treat). Towards Responsible Explainable AI Technologies (TREAT) examines the benefits and risks of so-called “Explainable AI” technologies for creating and using AI in an ethically responsible manner. One of the main ethical concerns regarding complex AI systems is that they risk becoming unintelligible black boxes. In response, a subfield within AI research, known as explainable AI (XAI), seeks to develop tools for generating explanations of AI systems. Such explanations are important in order to enable people to understand and think critically about AI systems. However, explanations are not just an ethical good: they also risk creating a false sense of understanding, which can be exploited to mislead or even manipulate. To resolve this dilemma, TREAT seeks to philosophically grounded theories of representational adequacy, explanatory honesty, and legitimacy for XAI technologies.

We welcome abstracts addressing any philosophically salient issue relating to explainability, interpretability or transparency in machine learning. This includes (but is not limited to) papers drawing on ethics, epistemology, philosophy of science or political philosophy. We hope to have a diverse programme, representing a broad range of exciting new philosophical work engaging with XAI technologies, broadly construed.

We especially encourage applications from junior scholars and those from underrepresented backgrounds. Travel and accommodation costs for successful applicants will be covered, and there will be no registration fees for the event. To apply, please send an abstract of 300-400 words (excluding references) to [email protected] no later than Wednesday 1st April.

If you are have any questions, feel free to contact us on [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you.

Rune Nyrup, Torben Agergaard, and Molly Powell