A Rule Extraction Technique Applied to Ensembles of Neural Networks, Random Forests, and Gradient-Boosted Trees

In machine learning, ensembles of models based on Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) or decision trees are considered successful models. However, explaining their responses is a complex problem that requires the creation of new methods of interpretation. A natural way to explain the classifications of the models is to transform them into propositional rules. In this work, we focus on random forests and gradient-boosted trees. Specifically, these models are converted into an ensemble of interpretable MLPs from which propositional rules are produced. The rule extraction method presented here allows one to precisely locate the discriminating hyperplanes that constitute the antecedents of the rules. In experiments based on eight classification problems, we compared our rule extraction technique to "Skope-Rules" and other state-of-the-art techniques. Experiments were performed with ten-fold cross-validation trials, with propositional rules that were also generated from ensembles of interpretable MLPs. By evaluating the characteristics of the extracted rules in terms of complexity, fidelity, and accuracy, the results obtained showed that our rule extraction technique is competitive. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the few works showing a rule extraction technique that has been applied to both ensembles of decision trees and neural networks.