Rule extraction based on PROMETHEE-assisted multi-objective genetic algorithm for generating interpretable neural networks

Abstract

Rule extraction from artificial neural networks (ANNs) refers to the process of identifying the underlying decision-making logic used by the network in its predictions. This involves converting the complex, non-linear relationships between inputs and outputs in the network into a set of interpretable rules. The main objective of rule extraction is to enhance the interpretability of decision-making in artificial neural networks (ANNs) and make it more understandable for human experts, especially in critical domains like healthcare, where clear decision-making is essential. Despite the ability of machine learning methods to interpret ANNs, interpreting complex neural networks remains limited, as most studies tend to sacrifice one criterion, related to rule quality, in favor of another. Rule extraction methods applied directly to complex neural networks may produce overly specific rules that are tailored to the training data. Such rules can suffer from overfitting and may not generalize well to unseen data. Also, The use of multiobjective genetic algorithms for rule extraction can result in a large number of rules, making it challenging for decision-makers to interpret them. This study proposes an innovative approach to address challenges in rule extraction from complex artificial neural networks (ANNs) by integrating a multiobjective genetic algorithm with the PROMETHEE method. By integrating these techniques, the study aims to identify meaningful relationships between inputs and outputs of ANNs, generating concise and reliable rules that are ranked based on support, confidence, and lift values. The use of PROMETHEE's rule ranking mechanism enabled the consideration of rule priority during candidate selection, guiding the genetic algorithm towards discovering high-quality rule sets and efficiently exploring the search space. This approach not only enhances the quality of extracted rules but also facilitates efficient decision-making by striking a balance between rule accuracy, fidelity, and comprehensibility, thus contributing to advancing the understanding of complex neural networks. By equally weighting the criteria (support, confidence, and lift) during the rule ranking mechanism, our approach achieved high coverage rates ranging from 94.88 % to 100 % and generated a manageable number of rules that could be easily interpreted by human experts, ranging from 5 to 10.5. These findings demonstrate the potential of our approach to significantly improve decision-making accuracy and interpretability across various real-world applications, making it a promising tool for applications in healthcare, finance, and other fields.