A robust multi-label feature selection based on label significance and fuzzy entropy

Multi-label feature selection is one of the key steps in dealing with multi-label classification problems in high-dimensional data. In this step, label enhancement techniques play an important role. However, it is worth noting that many current methods tend to ignore the intrinsic connection between inter-sample similarity and inter-label correlation when implementing label enhancement learning. The neglect may prevent the process of label enhancement from accurately revealing the complex structure and underlying patterns within data. For this reason, a fuzzy multi-label feature selection method based on label significance and fuzzy entropy is proposed. An innovative label enhancement technique that considers not only the intrinsic connection between features and labels, but also the correlation between labels was first devised. Based on this enhanced label representation, the concept of fuzzy entropy is further defined to quantify the uncertainty of features for multi-label classification tasks. Subsequently, a feature selection algorithm based on feature importance and label importance was developed. The algorithm guides the feature selection process by evaluating how much each feature contributes to multi-label classification and how important each label is to the overall classification task. Finally, through a series of experimental validation, the proposed algorithm is proved to have better performance for multi-label classification tasks. •A novel label enhancement method using fuzzy theory is proposed, integrating label correlation to improve noise resistance.•Fuzzy entropy of label uncertainty is introduced as a measure of each label's contribution to selecting refined features.•A novel algorithm for multi-label feature selection is introduced, leveraging both feature and label significance.