On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a review

The rise of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as LLaMA and ChatGPT, has opened new opportunities for enhancing recommender systems through improved explainability. This paper provides a systematic literature review focused on leveraging LLMs to generate explanations for recommendations—a critical a...

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Main Author: Alan Said
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Big Data
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdata.2024.1505284/full
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author Alan Said
author_facet Alan Said
author_sort Alan Said
collection DOAJ
description The rise of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as LLaMA and ChatGPT, has opened new opportunities for enhancing recommender systems through improved explainability. This paper provides a systematic literature review focused on leveraging LLMs to generate explanations for recommendations—a critical aspect for fostering transparency and user trust. We conducted a comprehensive search within the ACM Guide to Computing Literature, covering publications from the launch of ChatGPT (November 2022) to the present (November 2024). Our search yielded 232 articles, but after applying inclusion criteria, only six were identified as directly addressing the use of LLMs in explaining recommendations. This scarcity highlights that, despite the rise of LLMs, their application in explainable recommender systems is still in an early stage. We analyze these select studies to understand current methodologies, identify challenges, and suggest directions for future research. Our findings underscore the potential of LLMs improving explanations of recommender systems and encourage the development of more transparent and user-centric recommendation explanation solutions.
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spelling doaj-art-93b383c4d1694da28f41d6b5ad0175902025-01-27T06:41:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Big Data2624-909X2025-01-01710.3389/fdata.2024.15052841505284On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a reviewAlan SaidThe rise of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as LLaMA and ChatGPT, has opened new opportunities for enhancing recommender systems through improved explainability. This paper provides a systematic literature review focused on leveraging LLMs to generate explanations for recommendations—a critical aspect for fostering transparency and user trust. We conducted a comprehensive search within the ACM Guide to Computing Literature, covering publications from the launch of ChatGPT (November 2022) to the present (November 2024). Our search yielded 232 articles, but after applying inclusion criteria, only six were identified as directly addressing the use of LLMs in explaining recommendations. This scarcity highlights that, despite the rise of LLMs, their application in explainable recommender systems is still in an early stage. We analyze these select studies to understand current methodologies, identify challenges, and suggest directions for future research. Our findings underscore the potential of LLMs improving explanations of recommender systems and encourage the development of more transparent and user-centric recommendation explanation solutions.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdata.2024.1505284/fullrecommender systemsexplainable recommendationlarge language modelsLLMSexplanationsexplainable AI
spellingShingle Alan Said
On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a review
Frontiers in Big Data
recommender systems
explainable recommendation
large language models
LLMS
explanations
explainable AI
title On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a review
title_full On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a review
title_fullStr On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a review
title_full_unstemmed On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a review
title_short On explaining recommendations with Large Language Models: a review
title_sort on explaining recommendations with large language models a review
topic recommender systems
explainable recommendation
large language models
LLMS
explanations
explainable AI
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdata.2024.1505284/full
work_keys_str_mv AT alansaid onexplainingrecommendationswithlargelanguagemodelsareview