The regression Tsetlin machine: a novel approach to interpretable nonlinear regression

Abstract

Relying simply on bitwise operators, the recently introduced Tsetlin machine (TM) has provided competitive pattern classification accuracy in several benchmarks, including text understanding. In this paper, we introduce the regression Tsetlin machine (RTM), a new class of TMs designed for continuous input and output, targeting nonlinear regression problems. In all brevity, we convert continuous input into a binary representation based on thresholding, and transform the propositional formula formed by the TM into an aggregated continuous output. Our empirical comparison of the RTM with state-of-the-art regression techniques reveals either superior or on par performance on five datasets. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Harmonizing energy-autonomous computing and intelligence’.