Paper Type
ERF
Abstract
The explainability of AI is largely approached from an algorithm-centric perspective to increase model transparency. However, the organizational dynamics in which AI systems are integrated remain underestimated, even though they are also a source of opacity. This article, therefore, repositions AI explainability as an organizational design capability rather than an essentially technical property of models. From a socio-technical perspective, using a Design Science Research approach, we have designed a visual tool to operationalize explainability in AI projects: the eXplainability Design Canvas (XDC). The XDC materializes explainability as a boundary object to facilitate cross-domain mediation. Thus, within a structured framework, the XDC allows heterogeneous groups of stakeholders to formalize the plurality of explainability requirements specific to a common organizational context.
Paper Number
1757
Recommended Citation
EL OUALIDI, Taoufik and Assar, Saïd, "eXplainability Design Canvas (XDC): A Sociotechnical Design Artifact to Operationalize AI Explainability in Organizations" (2026). AMCIS 2026 Proceedings. 17.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2026/sig_osra/sig_osra/17
eXplainability Design Canvas (XDC): A Sociotechnical Design Artifact to Operationalize AI Explainability in Organizations
The explainability of AI is largely approached from an algorithm-centric perspective to increase model transparency. However, the organizational dynamics in which AI systems are integrated remain underestimated, even though they are also a source of opacity. This article, therefore, repositions AI explainability as an organizational design capability rather than an essentially technical property of models. From a socio-technical perspective, using a Design Science Research approach, we have designed a visual tool to operationalize explainability in AI projects: the eXplainability Design Canvas (XDC). The XDC materializes explainability as a boundary object to facilitate cross-domain mediation. Thus, within a structured framework, the XDC allows heterogeneous groups of stakeholders to formalize the plurality of explainability requirements specific to a common organizational context.
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