Papers
Topics
Authors
Recent
Gemini 2.5 Flash
Gemini 2.5 Flash
173 tokens/sec
GPT-4o
7 tokens/sec
Gemini 2.5 Pro Pro
46 tokens/sec
o3 Pro
4 tokens/sec
GPT-4.1 Pro
38 tokens/sec
DeepSeek R1 via Azure Pro
28 tokens/sec
2000 character limit reached

Interpreting CNNs via Decision Trees (1802.00121v2)

Published 1 Feb 2018 in cs.CV

Abstract: This paper aims to quantitatively explain rationales of each prediction that is made by a pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN). We propose to learn a decision tree, which clarifies the specific reason for each prediction made by the CNN at the semantic level. I.e., the decision tree decomposes feature representations in high conv-layers of the CNN into elementary concepts of object parts. In this way, the decision tree tells people which object parts activate which filters for the prediction and how much they contribute to the prediction score. Such semantic and quantitative explanations for CNN predictions have specific values beyond the traditional pixel-level analysis of CNNs. More specifically, our method mines all potential decision modes of the CNN, where each mode represents a common case of how the CNN uses object parts for prediction. The decision tree organizes all potential decision modes in a coarse-to-fine manner to explain CNN predictions at different fine-grained levels. Experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Citations (309)

Summary

  • The paper presents a novel method using decision trees to interpret CNN predictions by transforming complex high-layer features into understandable object parts.
  • The approach learns a decision tree to extract semantic-level interpretations from CNN predictions by decomposing features into elementary object part concepts.
  • Experimental evaluation shows this method provides meaningful interpretations of CNN predictions across multiple benchmarks while maintaining reasonable accuracy.

Interpreting CNNs via Decision Trees: A Comprehensive Analysis

The paper "Interpreting CNNs via Decision Trees" presents a novel approach to enhancing the interpretability of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) by employing decision trees to explain the predictions made by these models. The paper addresses a significant challenge in machine learning: understanding the rationale behind the predictions of deep neural networks, which are often considered "black boxes." This work focuses on providing semantic and quantitative explanations for CNN predictions by transforming the complex representation of a CNN's top convolutional layers into a more interpretable form.

Methodology

The authors propose a methodology that involves learning a decision tree to extract semantic-level interpretations from CNN predictions. This is achieved by decomposing the high-layer feature representations in a CNN into elementary concepts of object parts. The decision tree clarifies the use of these object parts in the prediction process and quantifies their contributions to the prediction scores. Two key perspectives underpin the proposed approach:

  1. Semantic Explanation of Middle-Layer Features: The method seeks to convert chaotic filter features inside a CNN into meaningful semantic concepts. This transformation aims to elucidate the knowledge embedded within CNNs, focusing on object parts that activate particular filters.
  2. Quantitative Analysis of Prediction Rationale: The paper explores understanding which filters or object parts are employed by the CNN and how these elements contribute numerically to the output score.

The authors emphasize that this method transcends traditional pixel-level visualization by offering both semantic and quantitative insights, which are particularly valuable in applications where trust and explanation of model decisions are critical.

Learning and Inference

The paper describes the learning process of the decision tree, where filters in the CNN's top convolutional layers are forced to represent distinct object parts without any part annotations. This process is guided by a "filter loss," which encourages each filter to be activated by consistent object regions across different inputs. The decision tree is then constructed to organize potential decision modes in a hierarchical manner, summarizing common rationales shared by multiple images in a coarse-to-fine structure. During inference, the decision tree aids in determining a "parse tree" for every prediction, which explains the contribution of different object parts.

Experimental Evaluation

The experimental results affirm the effectiveness of the proposed method across multiple benchmarks, including the PASCAL-Part Dataset, CUB200-2011, and ILSVRC 2013 DET Animal-Part dataset. The authors demonstrate that their approach provides meaningful interpretations of CNN predictions while maintaining a reasonable level of classification accuracy and prediction error when compared to the original CNN.

The paper includes detailed evaluations of several metrics: error in object-part contributions, fitness of contribution distributions, classification accuracy, and prediction error. The results indicate that the decision tree, while providing an approximation, offers a robust explanation of CNN predictions and aids the interpretability of CNN decision-making.

Implications and Future Directions

The research has important implications for both practical applications and theoretical advancements in the field of AI interpretability. On a practical level, it provides a tool to improve transparency in AI systems, which is crucial in sectors where model accountability is paramount. Theoretically, it contributes to the understanding of the internal workings of CNNs and stimulates further research on model interpretability.

Looking forward, the potential development of more sophisticated techniques for bridging CNN middle-layer features with semantic concepts could further refine the decision tree's ability to interpret CNN predictions. Future research could also explore extensions of this methodology to other neural network architectures, such as those with skip connections or recurrent structures, to enhance wider applicability.

In conclusion, the work significantly contributes to the interpretability of CNNs by establishing a framework that combines decision trees with convolutional networks, affording a level of transparency previously difficult to achieve.