EXPLAIN - EXPLanatory interactive Artificial intelligence for INdustry
To realize the potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in industrial applications Professionals and end-users need to gain insights into the internal processing of machine learning (ML) models. These insights can be obtained through research on eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), which has received much attention recently. The needs and characteristics of users and their context of their work differ significantly between various industrial applications. Therefore, it is essential to consider various industrial users, use cases, and data, to better understand the context and requirements of appropriate AI solutions. These aspects need to be considered when developing industrial AI systems.
The successful implementation of this idea requires close collaboration between AI use case providers, AI vendors, and research stakeholders from machine learning, XAI, software development, user experience, and human factors. The EXPLAIN project aims to realize an end-to-end ML lifecycle that is interactive and explainable to industry experts. This goal requires in particular the intensive involvement of domain experts. The development also requires advanced MLOps approaches that directly support and incorporate XAI.
The EXPLAIN project will realize:
- The development of an end-to-end system with a data and MLOps infrastructure, taking the need for explanatory methods into account
- Leveraging explanations for model testing, monitoring, improvements, and audits
- Modeling and automation of MLOps processes
- Integration of models into these processes
- Testing and evaluating the end-to-end system against metrics
Conventional machine learning techniques, explanation components, and a feedback system will be developed in the project. The respective components will be evaluated in practice. In addition, various requirements for explainability will be identified.
The Software Systems Engineering (SSE) group led by Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmid is already working on methods and techniques to support the efficient development of qualitative software with artificial intelligence, including the IIP-Ecosphere and HAISEM-Lab projects.
Within the project, the working group will contribute its expertise in software engineering for AI systems and focus on MLOps for XAI in the context of Industry 4.0.
Duration: 3 years
Contact: Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmid
The EXPLAIN project is funded by Grant 01IS22030E from the BMBF.
Publicationen
Abt. Software Systems Engineering
S/N | Publication |
---|---|
9. |
Leonhard Faubel and Klaus Schmid
(2024):
An MLOps Platform Comparison
Hildesheimer Informatik-Berichte
number / issue 01/2024, SSE 1/24/E.
University of Hildesheim.
abstract While many companies aim to use Machine Learning (ML) models, transitioning to deployment and practical application of such models can be very time-consuming and technically challenging. To address this, MLOps (ML Operations) offers processes, tools, practices, and patterns to bring ML models into operation. A large number of tools and platforms have been created to support architects and developers in creating practical solutions. However, specific needs vary strongly in a situation-dependent manner, and a good overview of their characteristics is missing, making the architect’s task very challenging. |
8. |
Leonhard Faubel, Thomas Woudsma, Benjamin Klöpper, Holger Eichelberger, Bülow. Fabian, Klaus Schmid, Amir Ghorbani Ghezeljehmeidan, Leila Methnani, Andreas Theodorou and Magnus Bang
(2024):
MLOps for Cyber-Physical Production Systems: Challenges and Solutions
In: IEEE Software.
abstract Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) involves software development practices for Machine Learning (ML), including data management, preprocessing, model training, deployment, and monitoring. While MLOps have received significant interest, much less work has been published addressing MLOps in industrial production settings lately, particularly if solutions are not cloud-based. This article addresses this shortcoming based on our and our partner’s real industrial experience in various projects. While there is a broad range of challenges for MLOps in cyber-physical production systems (CPPS), we focus on those related to data, models, and operations as we assume these will directly benefit the reader and provide solutions such as lightweight integration, integration of domain knowledge, periodic calibration, and interactive interfaces. In this way, we want to support practitioners in setting up |
7. |
Leonhard Faubel and Klaus Schmid
(2024):
A Systematic Analysis of MLOps Features and Platforms
In: WiPiEC Journal - WiPiEC Journal - Works in Progress in Embedded Computing Journal, 10 (2).
abstract While many companies aim to use Machine Learning (ML) models, transitioning to deployment and practical application of such models can be very time-consuming and technically challenging. To address this, MLOps (ML Operations) offers processes, tools, practices, and patterns to bring ML models into operation. A large number of tools and platforms have been created to support developers in creating practical solutions. However, specific needs vary strongly in a situation-dependent manner, and a good overview of their characteristics is missing, making the architect’s task very challenging. We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of MLOps platforms, describing their qualities, features, tactics, and patterns. In this paper, we want to map the design space of MLOps platforms. We are guided by the Attribute-Driven Design (ADD) methodology. In this way, we want to |
6. |
Leonhard Faubel and Klaus Schmid
(2023):
An Analysis of MLOps Practices
Hildesheimer Informatik-Berichte
number / issue 1/2023, SSE 1/23/E.
Software Systems Engineering, Institut für Informatik, Universität Hildesheim.
Universitätsplatz 1, 31134 Hildesheim.
abstract The EXPLAIN project (EXPLanatory interactive Artificial intelligence for INdustry) aims at enabling explainable Machine Learning in industry. MLOps (Machine Learning Operations) includes tools, practices, and processes for deploying ML (Machine Learning) in production. These will be extended by explainability methods as part of the project. This study aims to determine to what extent MLOps is implemented by four project partner companies. Further, the study describes the ML use cases, MLOps software architecture, tools, and requirements in the companies perspective. Besides, requirements for a novel MLOps software architecture, including explainability methods, are collected. As a result the interviews show that each of the interviewed industry partners use MLOps differently. Different tools and architectural patterns are used depending on the particular use case. Overall, most information we gathered focused on architecture decisions in the MLOps tool landscape used by the interviewed companies. |
5. |
Denis E. Baskan, Daniel Meyer, Sebastian Mieck, Leonhard Faubel, Benjamin Klöpper, Nika Strem, Johannes A. Wagner and Jan J. Koltermann
(2023):
A Scenario-Based Model Comparison for Short-Term Day-Ahead Electricity Prices in Times of Economic and Political Tension
In: Algorithms, 16 (4): 1-20.
abstract In recent years, energy prices have become increasingly volatile, making it more challenging to predict them accurately.This uncertain market trend behavior makes it harder for market participants, e.g., power plant dispatchers, to make reliable decisions. Machine learning (ML) has recently emerged as a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) technique to get reliable predictions in particularly volatile and unforeseeable situations. This development makes ML models an attractive complement to other approaches that require more extensive human modeling effort and assumptions about market mechanisms. This study investigates the application of machine and deep learning approaches to predict day-ahead electricity prices for a 7-day horizon on the German spot market to give power plants enough time to ramp up or down. A qualitative and quantitative analysis is conducted, assessing model performance concerning the forecast horizon and their robustness depending on the selected hyperparameters. For evaluation purposes, three test scenarios with different characteristics are manually chosen.Various models are trained, optimized, and compared with each other using common performance metrics. This study shows that deep learning models outperform tree-based and statistical models despite or because of the volatile energy prices. |
4. | Leonhard Faubel, Thomas Woudsma, Leila Methnani, Amir Ghorbani, Fabian Buelow, Klaus Schmid, Willem van Driel, Benjamin Kloepper, Andreas Theodorou, Mohsen Nosratinia and Magnus Bang (2023): Towards an MLOps Architecture for XAI in Industrial Applications arXiv |
3. |
Leonhard Faubel, Klaus Schmid and Holger Eichelberger
(2023):
MLOps Challenges in Industry 4.0
In: SN Computer Science: 11.
abstract An important part of the Industry 4.0 vision is the use of machine learning (ML) techniques to create novel capabilitiesand flexibility in industrial production processes. Currently, there is a strong emphasis on MLOps as an enabling collectionof practices, techniques, and tools to integrate ML into industrial practice. However, while MLOps is often discussed inthe context of pure software systems, Industry 4.0 systems received much less attention. So far, there is only little researchfocusing on MLOps for Industry 4.0. In this paper, we discuss whether MLOps in Industry 4.0 leads to significantly dif-ferent challenges compared to typical Internet systems. We provide an initial analysis of MLOps approaches and identifyboth context-independent MLOps challenges (general challenges) as well as challenges particular to Industry 4.0 (specificchallenges) and conclude that MLOps works very similarly in Industry 4.0 systems to pure software systems. This indicatesthat existing tools and approaches are also mostly suited for the Industry 4.0 context. |
2. |
Leonhard Faubel and Klaus Schmid
(2023):
Review Protocol: A systematic literature review of MLOps
Hildesheimer Informatik-Berichte
In: Hildesheimer Informatik Berichte (SSE 2/23/E).
Institut für Informatik.
abstract MLOps have become an increasingly important topic in the deployment of machine learning in production. While Machine Learning Operations was predominantly used as a buzzword for methods in Machine Learning (ML) for the time being, since 2019, they are increasingly used in the context of deploying ML algorithms. This report is a protocol for a systematic literature review (SLR) that aims to determine the MLOps terminology and identify related activities. A further goal of the SLR is to identify where MLOps can be linked to classical software engineering. In addition, related automation techniques are considered. The projected literature review aims to draw conclusions from papers that explicitly use the term MLOps or Machine Learning Operations with the objective to provide the necessary common baseline for future MLOps research and practice. This report thoroughly documents the SLR method, processes, and data material. We also gathered all relevant data to comprehend MLOps fully. Through our comprehensive analysis, we hope to |
1. |
Leonhard Faubel, Klaus Schmid and Holger Eichelberger
(2022):
Is MLOps different in Industry 4.0? General and Specific Challenges
In:
3rd International Conference on Innovative Intelligent Industrial Production and Logistics (IN4PL)
pp. 161-167.
SciTePress.
abstract An important part of the Industry 4.0 vision is the use of machine learning (ML) techniques to create novel capabilities and flexibility in industrial production processes. Currently, there is a strong emphasis on MLOps as an enabling collection of practices, techniques, and tools to integrate ML into industrial practice. However, while MLOps is often discussed in the context of pure software systems, Industry 4.0 systems received much less attention. So far, there is no specialized research for Industry 4.0 in this regard. In this position paper, we discuss whether MLOps in Industry 4.0 leads to significantly different challenges compared to typical Internet systems. We identify both context-independent MLOps challenges (general challenges) as well as challenges particular to Industry 4.0 (specific challenges) and conclude that MLOps works very similarly in Industry 4.0 systems to pure software systems. This indicates that existing tools and approaches are also mostly suited for the Industry 4.0 context. |