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Algorithms for explaining machine learning models

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Interpretability and explainability of data and machine learning models

Quick Overview

Alibi is an open-source Python library focused on machine learning model inspection and interpretation. It provides a collection of algorithms for explaining predictions of black-box machine learning models and analyzing model behavior. Alibi supports various explanation methods for different types of models and data.

Pros

  • Comprehensive set of explanation algorithms for different model types and data formats
  • Supports both model-agnostic and model-specific explanation methods
  • Well-documented with clear examples and tutorials
  • Integrates well with popular machine learning frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch

Cons

  • Learning curve can be steep for users new to model interpretation techniques
  • Some advanced features may require additional dependencies
  • Performance can be slow for large datasets or complex models
  • Limited support for certain specialized model architectures

Code Examples

  1. Generating an Anchor explanation for a tabular classifier:
from alibi.explainers import AnchorTabular
from alibi.datasets import fetch_adult

adult = fetch_adult()
explainer = AnchorTabular(adult.predict_fn, adult.feature_names)
explanation = explainer.explain(adult.X_test[0])
print(explanation.anchor)
  1. Creating a Counterfactual explanation for an image classifier:
from alibi.explainers import Counterfactual
import tensorflow as tf

model = tf.keras.models.load_model('path/to/model')
explainer = Counterfactual(model, shape=(28, 28, 1), target_proba=0.99)
explanation = explainer.explain(X_test[0])
print(explanation.cf)
  1. Generating a SHAP explanation for a text classifier:
from alibi.explainers import KernelShap
from alibi.datasets import fetch_movie_sentiment

movie = fetch_movie_sentiment()
explainer = KernelShap(movie.predict_fn)
explanation = explainer.explain(movie.X_test[0])
print(explanation.shap_values)

Getting Started

To get started with Alibi, install it using pip:

pip install alibi

Then, import the desired explainer and use it on your model:

from alibi.explainers import AnchorTabular
from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestClassifier

# Train your model
model = RandomForestClassifier()
model.fit(X_train, y_train)

# Create an explainer
explainer = AnchorTabular(model.predict, feature_names=feature_names)

# Generate an explanation
explanation = explainer.explain(X_test[0])
print(explanation.anchor)

Competitor Comparisons

Fit interpretable models. Explain blackbox machine learning.

Pros of interpret

  • Broader range of interpretability techniques, including global explanations
  • More extensive documentation and tutorials
  • Stronger focus on model-agnostic interpretability methods

Cons of interpret

  • Less specialized for specific ML frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch
  • May have a steeper learning curve for beginners due to its comprehensive nature

Code Comparison

interpret:

from interpret import set_visualize_provider
from interpret.provider import InlineProvider
set_visualize_provider(InlineProvider())

from interpret.glassbox import ExplainableBoostingClassifier
ebm = ExplainableBoostingClassifier()
ebm.fit(X_train, y_train)

ebm_global = ebm.explain_global()
ebm_global.visualize()

alibi:

import alibi
from alibi.explainers import AnchorTabular

explainer = AnchorTabular(predict_fn, feature_names)
explanation = explainer.explain(X_test[0])
print(explanation.anchor)

Both libraries offer powerful interpretability tools, but interpret provides a more comprehensive suite of techniques and visualizations, while alibi focuses more on specific explainers like Anchors and Counterfactuals. interpret may be better suited for projects requiring a wide range of interpretability methods, while alibi might be preferable for those working with specific ML frameworks or seeking targeted explanations.

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A game theoretic approach to explain the output of any machine learning model.

Pros of shap

  • More widely adopted and mature project with a larger community
  • Extensive documentation and tutorials available
  • Supports a broader range of model types and use cases

Cons of shap

  • Can be computationally expensive for large datasets or complex models
  • May require more setup and configuration for certain use cases
  • Limited built-in visualization options compared to Alibi

Code Comparison

shap example:

import shap
explainer = shap.TreeExplainer(model)
shap_values = explainer.shap_values(X)
shap.summary_plot(shap_values, X)

Alibi example:

from alibi.explainers import AnchorTabular
explainer = AnchorTabular(predict_fn, feature_names)
explanation = explainer.explain(X_instance)
print(explanation.anchor)

Both libraries offer powerful explainability tools, but shap focuses more on SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) values, while Alibi provides a wider range of explanation methods including Anchors, Counterfactuals, and more. shap is generally more popular and well-established, but Alibi offers a broader toolkit for different explainability needs.

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Lime: Explaining the predictions of any machine learning classifier

Pros of LIME

  • Simpler and more lightweight implementation
  • Widely adopted and well-established in the ML community
  • Supports a broader range of model types out-of-the-box

Cons of LIME

  • Limited to local explanations only
  • Less comprehensive set of explanation methods
  • Fewer built-in visualization options

Code Comparison

LIME example:

from lime import lime_tabular
explainer = lime_tabular.LimeTabularExplainer(X_train)
exp = explainer.explain_instance(X_test[0], clf.predict_proba)

Alibi example:

from alibi.explainers import AnchorTabular
explainer = AnchorTabular(predict_fn, feature_names)
explanation = explainer.explain(X_test[0])

Both libraries offer straightforward APIs for generating explanations, but Alibi provides a wider range of explainers and more advanced features. LIME focuses primarily on local interpretable model-agnostic explanations, while Alibi includes methods like Anchors, Counterfactuals, and Integrated Gradients.

Alibi offers more comprehensive documentation and examples, making it easier for users to understand and implement various explanation techniques. However, LIME's simplicity and widespread adoption make it a popular choice for quick and easy model interpretability.

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Interpretability and explainability of data and machine learning models

Pros of AIX360

  • Broader scope of explainability techniques, including prototypes and contrastive explanations
  • Stronger focus on fairness metrics and bias mitigation
  • More comprehensive documentation and tutorials

Cons of AIX360

  • Less frequent updates and maintenance
  • Heavier dependency on IBM-specific libraries
  • More complex setup and integration process

Code Comparison

AIX360:

from aix360.algorithms.protodash import ProtodashExplainer
explainer = ProtodashExplainer()
(prototype_idx, prototype_weights) = explainer.explain(X, threshold=0.5)

Alibi:

from alibi.explainers import AnchorTabular
explainer = AnchorTabular(predict_fn, feature_names)
explanation = explainer.explain(X_test[0])

Summary

AIX360 offers a wider range of explainability techniques and a stronger focus on fairness, but comes with a more complex setup and IBM-specific dependencies. Alibi, on the other hand, provides a more streamlined experience with frequent updates, but has a narrower scope of explainability methods. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of the project and the desired balance between comprehensiveness and ease of use.

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README

Alibi Logo

Build Status Documentation Status codecov PyPI - Python Version PyPI - Package Version Conda (channel only) GitHub - License Slack channel


Alibi is a Python library aimed at machine learning model inspection and interpretation. The focus of the library is to provide high-quality implementations of black-box, white-box, local and global explanation methods for classification and regression models.

If you're interested in outlier detection, concept drift or adversarial instance detection, check out our sister project alibi-detect.


Anchor explanations for images


Integrated Gradients for text


Counterfactual examples


Accumulated Local Effects

Table of Contents

Installation and Usage

Alibi can be installed from:

  • PyPI or GitHub source (with pip)
  • Anaconda (with conda/mamba)

With pip

  • Alibi can be installed from PyPI:

    pip install alibi
    
  • Alternatively, the development version can be installed:

    pip install git+https://github.com/SeldonIO/alibi.git 
    
  • To take advantage of distributed computation of explanations, install alibi with ray:

    pip install alibi[ray]
    
  • For SHAP support, install alibi as follows:

    pip install alibi[shap]
    

With conda

To install from conda-forge it is recommended to use mamba, which can be installed to the base conda enviroment with:

conda install mamba -n base -c conda-forge
  • For the standard Alibi install:

    mamba install -c conda-forge alibi
    
  • For distributed computing support:

    mamba install -c conda-forge alibi ray
    
  • For SHAP support:

    mamba install -c conda-forge alibi shap
    

Usage

The alibi explanation API takes inspiration from scikit-learn, consisting of distinct initialize, fit and explain steps. We will use the AnchorTabular explainer to illustrate the API:

from alibi.explainers import AnchorTabular

# initialize and fit explainer by passing a prediction function and any other required arguments
explainer = AnchorTabular(predict_fn, feature_names=feature_names, category_map=category_map)
explainer.fit(X_train)

# explain an instance
explanation = explainer.explain(x)

The explanation returned is an Explanation object with attributes meta and data. meta is a dictionary containing the explainer metadata and any hyperparameters and data is a dictionary containing everything related to the computed explanation. For example, for the Anchor algorithm the explanation can be accessed via explanation.data['anchor'] (or explanation.anchor). The exact details of available fields varies from method to method so we encourage the reader to become familiar with the types of methods supported.

Supported Methods

The following tables summarize the possible use cases for each method.

Model Explanations

MethodModelsExplanationsClassificationRegressionTabularTextImagesCategorical featuresTrain set requiredDistributed
ALEBBglobal✔✔✔
Partial DependenceBB WBglobal✔✔✔✔
PD VarianceBB WBglobal✔✔✔✔
Permutation ImportanceBBglobal✔✔✔✔
AnchorsBBlocal✔✔✔✔✔For Tabular
CEMBB* TF/Keraslocal✔✔✔Optional
CounterfactualsBB* TF/Keraslocal✔✔✔No
Prototype CounterfactualsBB* TF/Keraslocal✔✔✔✔Optional
Counterfactuals with RLBBlocal✔✔✔✔✔
Integrated GradientsTF/Keraslocal✔✔✔✔✔✔Optional
Kernel SHAPBBlocal

global
✔✔✔✔✔✔
Tree SHAPWBlocal

global
✔✔✔✔Optional
Similarity explanationsWBlocal✔✔✔✔✔✔✔

Model Confidence

These algorithms provide instance-specific scores measuring the model confidence for making a particular prediction.

MethodModelsClassificationRegressionTabularTextImagesCategorical FeaturesTrain set required
Trust ScoresBB✔✔✔(1)✔(2)Yes
Linearity MeasureBB✔✔✔✔Optional

Key:

  • BB - black-box (only require a prediction function)
  • BB* - black-box but assume model is differentiable
  • WB - requires white-box model access. There may be limitations on models supported
  • TF/Keras - TensorFlow models via the Keras API
  • Local - instance specific explanation, why was this prediction made?
  • Global - explains the model with respect to a set of instances
  • (1) - depending on model
  • (2) - may require dimensionality reduction

Prototypes

These algorithms provide a distilled view of the dataset and help construct a 1-KNN interpretable classifier.

MethodClassificationRegressionTabularTextImagesCategorical FeaturesTrain set labels
ProtoSelect✔✔✔✔✔Optional

References and Examples

Citations

If you use alibi in your research, please consider citing it.

BibTeX entry:

@article{JMLR:v22:21-0017,
  author  = {Janis Klaise and Arnaud Van Looveren and Giovanni Vacanti and Alexandru Coca},
  title   = {Alibi Explain: Algorithms for Explaining Machine Learning Models},
  journal = {Journal of Machine Learning Research},
  year    = {2021},
  volume  = {22},
  number  = {181},
  pages   = {1-7},
  url     = {http://jmlr.org/papers/v22/21-0017.html}
}