Final answer:
Explainability is imperative for ensuring accountability and building trust, for internal operational clarity, and for stakeholder communication, as well as for understanding the cause-and-effect relationships in a system's actions. It helps us to comprehend why certain actions have occurred and anticipate potential future implications.
Step-by-step explanation:
Explainability is important for a variety of reasons. It provides accountability because when we can explain why something happened, we can identify who or what is responsible. This is crucial in many fields, for instance, in a legal context where accountability under the law is a cornerstone principle. In terms of trust, if a system or person can consistently and transparently explain their actions, it builds trust among users and stakeholders.
Moreover, explainability is important for operational reasons; internal stakeholders need to understand how systems work to effectively manage and improve them. This is akin to ensuring all team members are informed about the processes and expected outcomes in their roles within a company. Such understanding is also essential for explaining systems for shareholder purposes, as shareholders require clear communication regarding how a company functions and how it may affect their investment.
Lastly, interpretations of a system's actions are central to understanding cause-and-effect relationships, which, according to Figure 1.11 'Causation Explained,' help to illustrate the reasons behind actions at various levels. Historians, for instance, dissect the immediate and long-term impacts of events to comprehend and convey the complexities behind them. Similarly, a well-explained system allows users to grasp the interworking and rationale of its operations which can lead to better decision making and improvements over time.