Five Policy Uses of Algorithmic Explainability

{
  "authors": [
    "Matt O'Shaughnessy"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "TIA",
  "programs": [
    "Technology and International Affairs"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Technology"
  ]
}

In The Media

Five Policy Uses of Algorithmic Explainability

The notion that algorithmic systems should be "explainable" is common in the many statements of consensus principles developed by governments, companies, and advocacy organizations.

By Matt O'Shaughnessy

Published on Feb 6, 2023

arxiv.org

About the Author

Matt O'Shaughnessy

Former Visiting Fellow, Technology and International Affairs Program

Matt O’Shaughnessy was a visiting fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he applies his technical background in machine learning to research on the geopolitics and global governance of technology.

Recent Work

Commentary
How Hype Over AI Superintelligence Could Lead Policy Astray
- Matt O'Shaughnessy
Commentary
What a Chinese Regulation Proposal Reveals About AI and Democratic Values
- Matt O'Shaughnessy

Technology Iran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

Commentary
Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. Sanctions
Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.
Xue Gong
Commentary
Are Data Centers the Solution to China’s Renewables Excess Capacity?
China’s latest energy plan explicitly calls for integrating data centers into the electricity system, particularly connecting them to green energy. It appears Beijing wants to use compute as a source of domestic demand to absorb renewables excess capacity.
Damien Ma
Commentary
China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything
Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma
Commentary
Emissary
The Xi Doctrine Zeros in on “High-Quality Development” for China’s Economic Future
In the latest Five-Year Plan, the Chinese president cements the shift to an innovation-driven economy over a consumption-driven one.
Damien Ma
Commentary
ASEAN-China Digital Cooperation: Deeper but Clear-Eyed Engagement
ASEAN needs to determine how to balance perpetuating the benefits of technology cooperation with China while mitigating the risks of getting caught in the crosshairs of U.S.-China gamesmanship.
Elina Noor

More Work from Carnegie China

Robot arm with disposable test tube virus sampling in laboratory

Commentary

Caught in the Middle: Chinese Biotech Firms’ Divergent Responses to U.S. Sanctions

Chinese biotech companies have been on the receiving end of U.S. economic coercion. Yet their responses have differed significantly because firm and state interests are not uniformly aligned. For Washington, treating all Chinese tech firms the same, irrespective of their actual interests, risks pushing them farther into Beijing’s corner.

Xue Gong

An aerial drone photo taken on June 4, 2026 shows a wind-photovoltaic power storage station of Huadian Inner Mongolia New Energy Co., Ltd. as part of the Horinger data center cluster green energy supply demonstration project, in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Commentary

Are Data Centers the Solution to China’s Renewables Excess Capacity?

China’s latest energy plan explicitly calls for integrating data centers into the electricity system, particularly connecting them to green energy. It appears Beijing wants to use compute as a source of domestic demand to absorb renewables excess capacity.

Damien Ma

Commentary

China’s Energy Security Doesn’t Run Through Hormuz but Through the Electrification of Everything

Across Asia, China is better positioned to withstand energy shocks from the fallout of the Iran war. Its abundant coal capacity can ensure stability in the near term. Yet at the same time, the country’s energy transition away from coal will make it even less vulnerable during the next shock.

Damien Ma

Xi walking into a room with people standing and applauding around him

Commentary

Emissary

The Xi Doctrine Zeros in on “High-Quality Development” for China’s Economic Future

In the latest Five-Year Plan, the Chinese president cements the shift to an innovation-driven economy over a consumption-driven one.

Damien Ma

Commentary

ASEAN-China Digital Cooperation: Deeper but Clear-Eyed Engagement

ASEAN needs to determine how to balance perpetuating the benefits of technology cooperation with China while mitigating the risks of getting caught in the crosshairs of U.S.-China gamesmanship.

Elina Noor