A Comprehensive Guide to Explainable AI: From Classical Models to LLMs

TL;DR

This comprehensive guide explores the evolution, techniques, and applications of Explainable AI, covering traditional models, deep learning architectures, and large language models with practical examples and case studies.

Contribution

It provides an integrated overview of XAI methods across various models, including practical tools, evaluation metrics, and emerging research directions.

Findings

XAI techniques like SHAP, LIME, and Grad-CAM effectively explain complex models.

Case studies demonstrate XAI's impact in healthcare, finance, and policy.

Evaluation metrics help assess explanation quality.

Abstract

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) addresses the growing need for transparency and interpretability in AI systems, enabling trust and accountability in decision-making processes. This book offers a comprehensive guide to XAI, bridging foundational concepts with advanced methodologies. It explores interpretability in traditional models such as Decision Trees, Linear Regression, and Support Vector Machines, alongside the challenges of explaining deep learning architectures like CNNs, RNNs, and Large Language Models (LLMs), including BERT, GPT, and T5. The book presents practical techniques such as SHAP, LIME, Grad-CAM, counterfactual explanations, and causal inference, supported by Python code examples for real-world applications. Case studies illustrate XAI's role in healthcare, finance, and policymaking, demonstrating its impact on fairness and decision support. The book also covers evaluation metrics for explanation quality, an overview of cutting-edge XAI tools and frameworks, and emerging research directions, such as interpretability in federated learning and ethical AI considerations. Designed for a broad audience, this resource equips readers with the theoretical insights and practical skills needed to master XAI. Hands-on examples and additional resources are available at the companion GitHub repository: https://github.com/Echoslayer/XAI_From_Classical_Models_to_LLMs.