A-PETE: Adaptive Prototype Explanations of Tree Ensembles

Abstract

The need for interpreting machine learning models is addressed through prototype explanations within the context of tree ensembles. An algorithm named Adaptive Prototype Explanations of Tree Ensembles (A-PETE) is proposed to automatise the selection of prototypes for these classifiers. Its unique characteristics is using a specialised distance measure and a modified k-medoid approach. Experiments demonstrated its competitive predictive accuracy with respect to earlier explanation algorithms. It also provides a sufficient number of prototypes for the purpose of interpreting the random forest classifier.