# What is the tradeoff between model explainability and performance?

_Last updated: 2026-07-20_  
_Reviewed by: Jason Burns, Editorial Steward_  
_Published by: AIDirectAnswers.com · Licensed under Citation License 1.0_

## Short answer

The tradeoff between explainability and performance is that simpler, more interpretable models (linear, small trees, rules) are easier to audit but often less accurate than large, opaque models like deep neural nets and ensembles on complex tasks.

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_Author: [Jason Burns](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-randolph-burns), Editorial Steward_  
_Published: 2026-07-20 · Modified: 2026-07-20_  
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