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

The 3rd edition “Contextualizing Explanations” (ContEx25) will take place on 17 and 18 June 2025 at Bielefeld University.

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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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The current issue of the TRR 318 newsletter explores the role of context in AI explanations, aligning with the theme of the third TRR 318 conference “Contextualizing Explanations”, scheduled for June 17 and 18 at Bielefeld University.

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Researchers from the INF project have developed a model that aims to predict the optimal prompts. This should improve the generated output of language models. Maximilian Spliethöver presented the TRR 318 study at the NAACL 2025 conference in New Mexico, USA.

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Events

17.06.2025 - 18.06.2025

3rd TRR 318 Con­fer­ence: Con­tex­tu­al­iz­ing Ex­plan­a­tions (Con­tEx25)

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25.06.2025 - 25.06.2025

Ex­ten­ded Activ­ity Af­ter­noon

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02.07.2025 - 04.07.2025

Writ­ing Re­treat led by An­drea Karsten (02.-04.07.2025)

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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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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.

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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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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