AnyCBMs: How to Turn Any Black Box into a Concept Bottleneck Model

TL;DR

AnyCBMs is a novel method that converts existing trained neural networks into interpretable concept bottleneck models, enabling better understanding and intervention without retraining from scratch.

Contribution

The paper introduces AnyCBM, a technique to transform pre-trained models into concept bottleneck models with minimal additional training or resources.

Findings

Effective in maintaining classification performance

Improves interpretability through concept-based explanations

Enables interventions on downstream tasks

Abstract

Interpretable deep learning aims at developing neural architectures whose decision-making processes could be understood by their users. Among these techniqes, Concept Bottleneck Models enhance the interpretability of neural networks by integrating a layer of human-understandable concepts. These models, however, necessitate training a new model from the beginning, consuming significant resources and failing to utilize already trained large models. To address this issue, we introduce "AnyCBM", a method that transforms any existing trained model into a Concept Bottleneck Model with minimal impact on computational resources. We provide both theoretical and experimental insights showing the effectiveness of AnyCBMs in terms of classification performances and effectivenss of concept-based interventions on downstream tasks.