The Explanation Game: A Formal Framework for Interpretable Machine Learning
35 Pages Posted: 17 Jan 2020 Last revised: 8 Apr 2020
Date Written: December 26, 2019
Abstract
We propose a formal framework for interpretable machine learning. Combining elements from statistical learning, causal interventionism, and decision theory, we design an idealized explanation game in which players collaborate to find the best explanation(s) for a given algorithmic prediction. Through an iterative procedure of questions and answers, the players establish a three-dimensional Pareto frontier that describes the optimal trade-offs between explanatory accuracy, simplicity, and relevance. Multiple rounds are played at different levels of abstraction, allowing the players to explore overlapping causal patterns of variable granularity and scope. We characterize the conditions under which such a game is almost surely guaranteed to converge on a (conditionally) optimal explanation surface in polynomial time, and highlight obstacles that will tend to prevent the players from advancing beyond certain explanatory thresholds. The game serves a descriptive and a normative function, establishing a conceptual space in which to analyse and compare existing proposals, as well as design new and improved solutions.
Keywords: Algorithmic Explainability, Explanation Game, Interpretable Machine Learning, Pareto Frontier, Relevance
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation