Developing Explanations Together

Algorithm-based approaches, such as machine learning, are becoming increasingly complex. This lack of transparency only makes it more difficult for human users to understand and accept the decisions proposed by artificial intelligence (AI). In the Transregional Collaborative Research Center 318 “Constructing Explainability”, researchers are developing ways to involve users in the explanation process and thus create co-constructive explanations. Therefore, the interdisciplinary research team investigates the principles, mechanisms, and social practices of explaining and how these can be taken into account in the design of AI systems. The goal of the project is to make explanatory processes comprehensible and to create understandable assistance systems.

 

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News

© Andreas Zobe

Can artificial intelligence work with doctors as equals and help them to make better diagnoses? A research team from the C05 project at TRR 318 is looking into this question. The computer scientists are working on an interactive system that assists doctors in making a diagnosis and checks and weighs up assumptions in dialog with them.

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TRR 318 will be represented at the 2025 World Conference on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in Istanbul from July 9 to 11. The conference brings together international experts every year to discuss the latest developments in XAI. This year, researchers from projects A03 and C02 will present their current work.

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On 17 and 18 June, around 80 researchers with international and interdisciplinary perspectives came together for the TRR 318 conference “Contextualizing Explanations” in Bielefeld. The invited speakers and visitors discussed the importance of context in explanatory situations.

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How do children learn their first words and how can care robots acquire the skills to help patients? In the fifth episode of the podcast “Explaining Explainability”, experts shed light on the concept of scaffolding - the art of supporting learners so that they can master complex tasks independently - and apply it to explanatory situations.

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Events

24.09.2025 - 24.09.2025

Activ­ity Af­ter­noon

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21.11.2025 - 21.11.2025

Writ­ing Day in Pader­born led by Dr. An­drea Karsten

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22.11.2025 - 22.11.2025

TRR 318 at GEN­IALE 2025

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Projects

Projects

The areas of research included in TRR 318 are divided into three categories. These three areas in turn are subdivided into interdisciplinary subprojects. Project INF provides an overarching research structure; Project Ö facilitates public relations and outreach; Project Z addresses administrative, organizational, and financial matters; and the RTG Project provides a framework for educating doctoral and post-doctoral researchers.

Alle Projekte

Area A - Explaining

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Area B - Social practice

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Area C - Representing and computing explanations

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Intersecting projects

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Mem­bers

The co-construction of explanations is investigated by a total of 22 project leaders with about 40 research assistants from computer science, economics, linguistics, media science, philosophy, psychology and sociology at the Bielefeld and Paderborn universities.

Re­search Train­ing Group

Net­work­ing op­por­tun­it­ies

The Integrated Research Training Group structures the further education of PhD students and postdocs. We warmly invite external PhD students to express their interest in a visiting fellowship in our Collaborative Research Center!

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AI For­um

In­sights in­to the world of ar­ti­fi­cial in­tel­li­gence

The website offers a collection of information from research, contextualizes current trends, and provides the opportunity to pose questions to the researchers in TRR 318.

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Media

News­let­ter

Subscribe to our Newsletter to keep updated about research and recent events of TRR 318.

Speak­er

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Prof. Dr. Katharina Rohlfing

Transregional Collaborative Research Centre 318

Project Leader A01, A05, Z

Write email +49 5251 60-5717

Deputy Speak­er

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Prof. Dr. Philipp Cimiano

Transregional Collaborative Research Centre 318

Project Leader B01, C05, INF

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