Enhancing Interpretability in Deep Reinforcement Learning through Semantic Clustering

Liang Zhang, Justin Lieffers, Adarsh Pyarelal

Keywords: Interpretability, Reinforcement Learning, Clustering, Visualization, Neural Networks

Abstract: In this paper, we explore semantic clustering properties of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to improve its interpretability and deepen our understanding of its internal semantic organization. In this context, semantic clustering refers to the ability of neural networks to cluster inputs based on their semantic similarity in the feature space. We propose a DRL architecture that incorporates a novel semantic clustering module that combines feature dimensionality reduction with online clustering. This module integrates seamlessly into the DRL training pipeline, addressing the instability of t-SNE and eliminating the need for extensive manual annotation inherent to prior semantic analysis methods. We experimentally validate the effectiveness of the proposed module and demonstrate its ability to reveal semantic clustering properties within DRL. Furthermore, we introduce new analytical methods based on these properties to provide insights into the hierarchical structure of policies and semantic organization within the feature space. Our code is available at https://github.com/ualiangzhang/semantic_rl.

Primary Area: Reinforcement learning (e.g., decision and control, planning, hierarchical RL, robotics)

Submission Number: 5766