Automated algorithm selection using meta-learning and pre-trained deep convolution neural networks

Abstract

Automated machine learning (AutoML), which explores the automation of various machine learning tasks, has seen significant progress in recent years. One of the fundamental tasks in this field is the selection of effective algorithms for a given dataset. This task is particularly challenging for tabular datasets where, unlike images or text, one cannot use pre-trained embeddings from other datasets. In this study, we present AutoIRAD, a novel meta-learning and vision-based approach for automatic classification algorithm selection for tabular datasets. Our approach is the first to generate image-based representations of entire tabular datasets, enabling us to model the features and interactions of all the dataset samples. Our image-based representation has two significant advantages. First, training our model across multiple datasets enables it to simultaneously learn from diverse domains and create more generalized and effective dataset representations. This representation can also be effectively applied to previously unseen datasets. Secondly, using images enables us to leverage large pre-trained networks (e.g., VGG). By tuning existing networks rather than training new ones, we can both speed up the training of our model and reduce the needed amounts of training data. An extensive evaluation of 150 datasets shows that AutoIRAD achieves results comparable to the leading state-of-the-art AutoML solution but at a fraction of their computation time.