Intuitionistic Fuzzy Broad Learning System: Enhancing Robustness Against Noise and Outliers

In the realm of data classification, broad learning system (BLS) has proven to be a potent tool that utilizes a layer-by-layer feed-forward neural network. However, the traditional BLS treats all samples as equally significant, which makes it less robust and less effective for real-world datasets with noises and outliers. To address this issue, we propose fuzzy broad learning system (F-BLS) and the intuitionistic fuzzy broad learning system (IF-BLS) models that confront challenges posed by the noise and outliers present in the dataset and enhance overall robustness. Employing a fuzzy membership technique, the proposed F-BLS model embeds sample neighborhood information based on the proximity of each class center within the inherent feature space of the BLS framework. Furthermore, the proposed IF-BLS model introduces intuitionistic fuzzy concepts encompassing membership, non-membership, and score value functions. IF-BLS strategically considers homogeneity and heterogeneity in sample neighborhoods in the kernel space. We evaluate the performance of proposed F-BLS and IF-BLS models on UCI benchmark datasets with and without Gaussian noise. As an application, we implement the proposed F-BLS and IF-BLS models to diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD). Experimental findings and statistical analyses consistently highlight the superior generalization capabilities of the proposed F-BLS and IF-BLS models over baseline models across all scenarios. The proposed models offer a promising solution to enhance the BLS framework's ability to handle noise and outliers. The source code link of the proposed model is available at https://github.com/mtanveer1/IF-BLS.