arXiv:2410.21331cs.LGcs.AI2024-10ICLR被引 14

让神经元只学一个意思,能提升模型抗干扰能力。

Beyond Interpretability: The Gains of Feature Monosemanticity on Model Robustness

  • 让神经元只对应单一语义,提升特征可解释性。
  • 在噪声、少样本和跨域场景下,性能显著优于传统模型。
  • 首次证明可解释性与鲁棒性可兼得,适合安全关键领域使用。

深度学习模型因神经元多义性(即单个神经元被多个无关语义激活)而缺乏可解释性,导致模型行为难以归因。近期的单义性研究使神经元对应单一明确语义,显著提升了可解释性,但普遍认为会牺牲准确性。本文挑战这一认知,发现单义性特征不仅增强可解释性,还能带来实际性能提升。在输入噪声、标签噪声、少样本学习及跨域泛化等多种鲁棒学习场景中,采用单义性特征的模型均显著优于依赖多义性特征的模型。我们通过实证与理论分析揭示其机制:单义性促进特征表示更好分离,形成更鲁棒的决策边界。该结果表明单义性具有广泛提升模型鲁棒性的潜力。作为此新方向的初步探索,本工作支持了可解释性与鲁棒性长期关联的假设。代码已公开于 https://github.com/PKU-ML/Beyond_Interpretability。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Deep learning models often suffer from a lack of interpretability due to polysemanticity, where individual neurons are activated by multiple unrelated semantics, resulting in unclear attributions of model behavior. Recent advances in monosemanticity, where neurons correspond to consistent and distinct semantics, have significantly improved interpretability but are commonly believed to compromise accuracy. In this work, we challenge the prevailing belief of the accuracy-interpretability tradeoff, showing that monosemantic features not only enhance interpretability but also bring concrete gains in model performance. Across multiple robust learning scenarios-including input and label noise, few-shot learning, and out-of-domain generalization-our results show that models leveraging monosemantic features significantly outperform those relying on polysemantic features. Furthermore, we provide empirical and theoretical understandings on the robustness gains of feature monosemanticity. Our preliminary analysis suggests that monosemanticity, by promoting better separation of feature representations, leads to more robust decision boundaries. This diverse evidence highlights the generality of monosemanticity in improving model robustness. As a first step in this new direction, we embark on exploring the learning benefits of monosemanticity beyond interpretability, supporting the long-standing hypothesis of linking interpretability and robustness. Code is available at \url{https://github.com/PKU-ML/Beyond_Interpretability}.

模型鲁棒性可解释性单义性神经元特性

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