Binary Classification `predict()` Method: sklearn vs keras

As a data scientist or software engineer, you may have come across the task of binary classification. This is a fundamental problem in machine learning where the goal is to predict a binary outcome, i.e., either a 0 or 1. There are many algorithms and libraries available to solve this problem, but two of the most popular are scikit-learn (sklearn) and Keras. In this blog post, we will compare the predict() method of these two libraries for binary classification.

Table of Contents

1. What is the predict() method?
2. Binary classification with sklearn
3. Binary classification with Keras
4. Comparison of predict() method in sklearn and Keras
5. When to Use sklearn predict() Method
6. When to Use Keras predict() Method
7. Conclusion

What is the predict() method?

Before we dive into the comparison of the predict() method of sklearn and Keras, let’s first understand what this method does. The predict() method is used to make predictions on new data using a trained model. In binary classification, the predict() method takes in a set of features and outputs either a 0 or 1, which represents the class of the new data.

Binary classification with sklearn

sklearn is a popular machine learning library in Python that provides a variety of algorithms and tools for data scientists and software engineers. To perform binary classification with sklearn, we first need to import the necessary modules and load our data. We will use the breast cancer dataset from sklearn as an example.

from sklearn.datasets import load_breast_cancer
from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split
from sklearn.linear_model import LogisticRegression

# Load data
data = load_breast_cancer()
X = data.data
y = data.target

# Split data into training and testing sets
X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = train_test_split(X, y, test_size=0.2, random_state=42)

# Train model
model = LogisticRegression()
model.fit(X_train, y_train)

# Make predictions
y_pred = model.predict(X_test)

In the above code, we first load the breast cancer dataset and split it into training and testing sets. We then train a logistic regression model on the training data and make predictions on the testing data using the predict() method. The output of the predict() method is stored in the y_pred variable.

Binary classification with Keras

Keras is a deep learning library that provides a high-level API for building and training neural networks. To perform binary classification with Keras, we need to define our model architecture and compile it before training and making predictions. Let’s see an example of binary classification with Keras using the same breast cancer dataset.

from keras.models import Sequential
from keras.layers import Dense
import numpy as np

# Define model architecture
model = Sequential([
    Dense(30, activation='relu', input_shape=(30,)),
    Dense(1, activation='sigmoid')
])

# Compile model
model.compile(optimizer='adam', loss='binary_crossentropy', metrics=['accuracy'])

# Train model
model.fit(X_train, y_train, epochs=50, batch_size=32)

# Make predictions
y_pred_keras=model.predict(X_test) 
y_pred_keras=np.argmax(y_pred_keras,axis=1)

In the above code, we first define our model architecture using the Sequential API of Keras. We then compile the model with the Adam optimizer and binary crossentropy loss function. We train the model for 50 epochs and make predictions on the testing data using the predict() method. The output of the predict() method is stored in the y_pred_keras variable.

Comparison of predict() method in sklearn and Keras

Now that we have seen examples of binary classification with sklearn and Keras, let’s compare the predict() method of these two libraries. The predict() method of sklearn returns a 1D array of predicted class labels, whereas the predict() method of Keras returns a 2D array of predicted class probabilities. To get the predicted class labels from the predict() method, we need to use the argmax() method of numpy.

# Get predicted class labels from Keras
import numpy as np

y_pred_keras=model.predict(X_test) 
y_pred_keras=np.argmax(y_pred_keras,axis=1)

# Compare predictions
print("sklearn predictions:", y_pred)
print("Keras predictions:", y_pred_keras)

Output:

sklearn predictions: [0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 0 0 0]
Keras predictions: [0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 0 0 0]

In the above code, we get the predicted class labels from the predict() method of Keras and use the argmax() method of numpy to convert the 2D array to a 1D array. We then compare the predictions of the two methods and print the results.

When to Use sklearn predict() Method

Use scikit-learn’s predict() method when you need a straightforward and easy-to-use solution for binary classification. Scikit-learn provides a wide range of algorithms, making it a go-to choice for quick implementations and prototyping. If simplicity and flexibility are your priorities, sklearn’s predict() method might be the right fit.

When to Use Keras predict() Method

Keras, on the other hand, is a high-level neural networks API that is well-suited for deep learning tasks. If your binary classification problem involves complex patterns and large datasets, Keras may be more appropriate. The predict() method in Keras is optimized for neural networks, providing advanced features and customization options.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have compared the predict() method of sklearn and Keras for binary classification. Both libraries provide an easy-to-use API for making predictions on new data. The predict() method of sklearn returns a 1D array of predicted class labels, whereas the predict() method of Keras returns a 2D array of predicted class probabilities. To get the predicted class labels from the predict() method of Keras, we need to use the argmax() method of numpy. When choosing between sklearn and Keras for binary classification, it is important to consider the complexity of the problem and the size of the dataset. For simple problems with small datasets, sklearn may be sufficient. For more complex problems with larger datasets, Keras may provide better performance.

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