Technical Understanding from Interactive Machine Learning Experience: a Study Through a Public Event for Science Museum Visitors

While AI technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in our daily lives, the comprehension of machine learning (ML) among non-experts remains limited. Interactive machine learning (IML) has the potential to serve as a tool for end users, but many existing IML systems are designed for users with a certain level of expertise. Consequently, it remains unclear whether IML experiences can enhance the comprehension of ordinary users. In this study, we conducted a public event using an IML system to assess whether participants could gain technical comprehension through hands-on IML experiences. We implemented an interactive sound classification system featuring visualization of internal feature representation and invited visitors at a science museum to freely interact with it. By analyzing user behavior and questionnaire responses, we discuss the potential and limitations of IML systems as a tool for promoting technical comprehension among non-experts.