A Covenant with Transparency: Opening the Black Box of Models

The article focuses on ethical aspect of transparency in the use of models for decision making. A hypothetical scenario has been presented in order to depict the importance of building transparency into decision support models. The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is a strong starting point in professionalization of modeling. It argues for the education of non-modelers, without consideration of the role the design of the model plays in users' understanding of the model. It notes the need for non-modelers to understand how models work. Transparency can serve as a way to communicate to non-users how the model works. With a transparent model, even non-experts can understand the inner workings of the model. Transparency is important on both the micro and macro levels because it can build trust in both particular models and the profession of modeling. By making the representations and values of the model transparent, the modeler enables users to verify the model lives up to the covenants with reality and values.