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The explanation dialogues: an expert focus study to understand requirements towards explanations within the GDPR

The explanation dialogues: an expert focus study to understand requirements towards explanations within the GDPR
The explanation dialogues: an expert focus study to understand requirements towards explanations within the GDPR

Explainable AI (XAI) provides methods to understand non-interpretable machine learning models. However, we have little knowledge about what legal experts expect from these explanations, including their legal compliance with, and value against European Union legislation. To close this gap, we present the Explanation Dialogues, an expert focus study to uncover the expectations, reasoning, and understanding of legal experts and practitioners towards XAI, with a specific focus on the European General Data Protection Regulation. The study consists of an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews, and is centered around a use-case in the credit domain. We extract both a set of hierarchical and interconnected codes using grounded theory, and present the standpoints of the participating experts towards XAI. We find that the presented explanations are hard to understand and lack information, and discuss issues that can arise from the different interests of the data controller and subject. Finally, we present a set of recommendations for developers of XAI methods, and indications of legal areas of discussion. Among others, recommendations address the presentation, choice, and content of an explanation, technical risks as well as the end-user, while we provide legal pointers to the contestability of explanations, transparency thresholds, intellectual property rights as well as the relationship between involved parties.

Expert focus study, Explainable AI, General Data Protection Regulation
0924-8463
State, Laura
01609949-a874-4a56-93b4-3f43d04c416b
Bringas colmenarejo, Alejandra
26da6380-e442-41d8-b06d-554e3b7252ea
Beretta, Andrea
fa9fdb63-8fbf-4cc8-9e86-79dd280a8065
Ruggieri, Salvatore
1b1c73e9-3462-48d2-9864-e395c4daf337
Turini, Franco
fbc2e582-8d89-4d06-9dcf-069263ab1bf3
Law, Stephanie
0778fc4b-cdf4-436e-9fcb-7f2ee2006ca4
State, Laura
01609949-a874-4a56-93b4-3f43d04c416b
Bringas colmenarejo, Alejandra
26da6380-e442-41d8-b06d-554e3b7252ea
Beretta, Andrea
fa9fdb63-8fbf-4cc8-9e86-79dd280a8065
Ruggieri, Salvatore
1b1c73e9-3462-48d2-9864-e395c4daf337
Turini, Franco
fbc2e582-8d89-4d06-9dcf-069263ab1bf3
Law, Stephanie
0778fc4b-cdf4-436e-9fcb-7f2ee2006ca4

State, Laura, Bringas colmenarejo, Alejandra, Beretta, Andrea, Ruggieri, Salvatore, Turini, Franco and Law, Stephanie (2025) The explanation dialogues: an expert focus study to understand requirements towards explanations within the GDPR. Artificial Intelligence and Law, [eaay7120]. (doi:10.1007/s10506-024-09430-w).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Explainable AI (XAI) provides methods to understand non-interpretable machine learning models. However, we have little knowledge about what legal experts expect from these explanations, including their legal compliance with, and value against European Union legislation. To close this gap, we present the Explanation Dialogues, an expert focus study to uncover the expectations, reasoning, and understanding of legal experts and practitioners towards XAI, with a specific focus on the European General Data Protection Regulation. The study consists of an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews, and is centered around a use-case in the credit domain. We extract both a set of hierarchical and interconnected codes using grounded theory, and present the standpoints of the participating experts towards XAI. We find that the presented explanations are hard to understand and lack information, and discuss issues that can arise from the different interests of the data controller and subject. Finally, we present a set of recommendations for developers of XAI methods, and indications of legal areas of discussion. Among others, recommendations address the presentation, choice, and content of an explanation, technical risks as well as the end-user, while we provide legal pointers to the contestability of explanations, transparency thresholds, intellectual property rights as well as the relationship between involved parties.

Text
2501.05325v1 - Accepted Manuscript
Restricted to Repository staff only until 13 January 2026.
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 21 December 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 January 2025
Keywords: Expert focus study, Explainable AI, General Data Protection Regulation

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 499413
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499413
ISSN: 0924-8463
PURE UUID: 5842f9e2-a433-466e-971c-99db1cd9e621
ORCID for Alejandra Bringas colmenarejo: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7968-9853
ORCID for Stephanie Law: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2551-7615

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 19 Mar 2025 17:34
Last modified: 17 Oct 2025 02:09

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Contributors

Author: Laura State
Author: Alejandra Bringas colmenarejo ORCID iD
Author: Andrea Beretta
Author: Salvatore Ruggieri
Author: Franco Turini
Author: Stephanie Law ORCID iD

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