Empowering Explainable Artificial Intelligence Through Case-Based Reasoning: A Comprehensive Exploration

Artificial intelligence (AI) advancements have significantly broadened its application across various sectors, simultaneously elevating concerns regarding the transparency and understandability of AI-driven decisions. Addressing these concerns, this paper embarks on an exploratory journey into Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) and Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), critically examining their convergence and the potential this synergy holds for demystifying the decision-making processes of AI systems. We employ the concept of Explainable CBR (XCBR) system that leverages CBR to acquire case-based explanations or generate explanations using CBR methodologies to enhance AI decision explainability. Though the literature has few surveys on XCBR, recognizing its potential necessitates a detailed exploration of the principles for developing effective XCBR systems. We present a cycle-aligned perspective that examines how explainability functions can be embedded throughout the classical CBR phases: Retrieve, Reuse, Revise, and Retain. Drawing from a comprehensive literature review, we propose a set of six functional goals that reflect key explainability needs. These goals are mapped to six thematic categories, forming the basis of a structured XCBR taxonomy. The discussion extends to the broader challenges and prospects facing the CBR-XAI arena, setting the stage for future research directions. This paper offers design guidance and conceptual grounding for future XCBR research and system development.