Preference learning based on adaptive graph neural network for multi-criteria decision support

Abstract

Intelligent decision-making assists decision-makers (DMs) in making choices through data analysis, model prediction, and automated processes. Central to this field are two key concepts: multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) and preference learning (PL). While MCDM and PL both aim to develop decision models that rank alternatives based on observed or revealed preferences, they diverge in focus. MCDM concentrates on the DMs' perspectives, whereas PL emphasizes model-driven approaches. This divergence presents significant challenges in integrating these methodologies, particularly in ensuring the integrated method remains scalable and interpretable amidst the complexity of decision scenarios. To bridge this gap, our study introduces the use of graph structures to frame decision problems and proposes a novel PL method employing graph neural network (GNN) for multi-criteria decision support. This method is anchored in the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) technique and combines an adaptive GNN model with a weight determination model. The GNN model updates embeddings from the alternative's criteria and category features, utilizing an attention mechanism to adaptively assess their importance. Concurrently, the weight determination model contains a weight neural network module to set objective criterion weights and a game theory-based module for calculating combined criterion weights. The method not only inherits the interpretability and intuitive appeal of decision models but also leverages the computational efficiency and high accuracy of machine learning. In experiments conducted on benchmark datasets, our method exhibits significant performance improvements, especially in ranking-related evaluation metrics, outperforming the best baseline by 5.78%.