Understanding intermediate layers using linear classifier probes
Neural network models have a reputation for being black boxes. We propose a new method to better understand the roles and dynamics of the intermediate layers. This has direct consequences on the design of such models and it enables the expert to be able to justify certain heuristics (such as adding auxiliary losses in middle layers). Our method uses linear classifiers, referred to as ``probes**, where a probe can only use the hidden units of a given intermediate layer as discriminating features. Moreover, these probes cannot affect the training phase of a model, and they are generally added after training. They allow the user to visualize the state of the model at multiple steps of training. We demonstrate how this can be used to develop a better intuition about models and to diagnose potential problems.
This paper proposes a method that attempts to *understand* what is happening within a neural network by using linear classifier probes which are inserted at various levels of the network. I think the idea is nice overall because it allows network designers to better understand the representational power of each layer in the network, but at the same time, this works feels a bit rushed. In particular, the fact that the authors did not provide any results in *real* networks, which are used to win competitions makes the results less strong, since researchers who want to created competitive network architectures don*t have enough evidence from this work to decides whether they should use it or not. Ideally, I would encourage the authors to consider continuing this line of research and show how to use the information given by these linear classifiers to construct better network architectures. Unfortunately, as is, I don*t think we have enough novelty to justify accepting this work in the conference.
You are a member of the scientific community tasked with peer review. Review the following paper title and abstract.
### Title + Abstract
Understanding intermediate layers using linear classifier probes
Neural network models have a reputation for being black boxes. We propose a new method to better understand the roles and dynamics of the intermediate layers. This has direct consequences on the design of such models and it enables the expert to be able to justify certain heuristics (such as adding auxiliary losses in middle layers). Our method uses linear classifiers, referred to as ``probes**, where a probe can only use the hidden units of a given intermediate layer as discriminating features. Moreover, these probes cannot affect the training phase of a model, and they are generally added after training. They allow the user to visualize the state of the model at multiple steps of training. We demonstrate how this can be used to develop a better intuition about models and to diagnose potential problems.
user
<think>Okay, to do a decent peer review, I should start with summarizing what the work is about. This includes novelty, contributions, clarity, and impact. I might include suggestions to issues that I find critical to the usefulness of the work. Starting with novelty, there are different types of novelty. The first aspect of novelty is scope and scale. Is the work covering a broader perspective than previous works? The second aspect is methodology. Is the proposed methodology novel compared to previous methods? Do they provide any significant advantage over previous methodologies? The third aspect is results. Are the results different compared previous work? Does this lead to any novel theories or an extension of current theories? Next is clarity, I will be reading the work in depth and analyze if any sentences can be potentially ambiguous or misleading. If any sentences are ambiguous, I will state them and give a suggestion on how to rephrase such sentence or how to make more clear to the audience. Lastly, impact is important. I will attempt to predict how such work will impact the scientific community. This might include the applications of such work and how the work might transform the way we study a certain topic. Finally, I will might only mention issues that are critical. This is to keep the review as concise and helpful as possible.</think>



This paper proposes a method that attempts to *understand* what is happening within a neural network by using linear classifier probes which are inserted at various levels of the network. I think the idea is nice overall because it allows network designers to better understand the representational power of each layer in the network, but at the same time, this works feels a bit rushed. In particular, the fact that the authors did not provide any results in *real* networks, which are used to win competitions makes the results less strong, since researchers who want to created competitive network architectures don*t have enough evidence from this work to decides whether they should use it or not. Ideally, I would encourage the authors to consider continuing this line of research and show how to use the information given by these linear classifiers to construct better network architectures. Unfortunately, as is, I don*t think we have enough novelty to justify accepting this work in the conference.
assistant
This paper proposes a method that attempts to *understand* what is happening within a neural network by using linear classifier probes which are inserted at various levels of the network. I think the idea is nice overall because it allows network designers to better understand the representational power of each layer in the network, but at the same time, this works feels a bit rushed. In particular, the fact that the authors did not provide any results in *real* networks, which are used to win competitions makes the results less strong, since researchers who want to created competitive network architectures don*t have enough evidence from this work to decides whether they should use it or not. Ideally, I would encourage the authors to consider continuing this line of research and show how to use the information given by these linear classifiers to construct better network architectures. Unfortunately, as is, I don*t think we have enough novelty to justify accepting this work in the conference.