# OpenAI and Google Unveil Activation Atlases to Peer Inside Neural Networks

OpenAI announced a breakthrough collaboration with Google researchers to create "activation atlases," a new visualization technique that reveals how neurons interact inside AI systems.

The technology allows researchers to see what combinations of neurons represent when they work together, essentially creating a map of an AI system's internal decision-making process. This is a significant step beyond previous methods that could only show what individual neurons detected.

**Why it matters:** As artificial intelligence systems are increasingly deployed in critical areas like healthcare, autonomous vehicles, and financial services, understanding how they make decisions becomes essential. The inability to explain AI decisions—often called the "black box problem"—has been a major barrier to trust and adoption.

Activation atlases could help researchers identify potential weaknesses in AI systems before they cause real-world problems. When an AI system fails or makes an unexpected decision, these visualizations provide a way