A Neuro-Symbolic Approach for Probabilistic Reasoning on Graph Data

Fuente: arXiv
Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori principali: Pojer, Raffaele, Passerini, Andrea, Larsen, Kim G., Jaeger, Manfred
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
Soggetti:
Accesso online:
Tags: Aggiungi Tag
Nessun Tag, puoi essere il primo ad aggiungerne!!
_version_ 1866911081767632896
author Pojer, Raffaele
Passerini, Andrea
Larsen, Kim G.
Jaeger, Manfred
author_facet Pojer, Raffaele
Passerini, Andrea
Larsen, Kim G.
Jaeger, Manfred
contents Graph neural networks (GNNs) excel at predictive tasks on graph-structured data but often lack the ability to incorporate symbolic domain knowledge and perform general reasoning. Relational Bayesian Networks (RBNs), in contrast, enable fully generative probabilistic modeling over graph-like structures and support rich symbolic knowledge and probabilistic inference. This paper presents a neuro-symbolic framework that seamlessly integrates GNNs into RBNs, combining the learning strength of GNNs with the flexible reasoning capabilities of RBNs. We develop two implementations of this integration: one compiles GNNs directly into the native RBN language, while the other maintains the GNN as an external component. Both approaches preserve the semantics and computational properties of GNNs while fully aligning with the RBN modeling paradigm. We also propose a maximum a-posteriori (MAP) inference method for these neuro-symbolic models. To demonstrate the framework's versatility, we apply it to two distinct problems. First, we transform a GNN for node classification into a collective classification model that explicitly models homo- and heterophilic label patterns, substantially improving accuracy. Second, we introduce a multi-objective network optimization problem in environmental planning, where MAP inference supports complex decision-making. Both applications include new publicly available benchmark datasets. This work introduces a powerful and coherent neuro-symbolic approach to graph data, bridging learning and reasoning in ways that enable novel applications and improved performance across diverse tasks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_21873
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A Neuro-Symbolic Approach for Probabilistic Reasoning on Graph Data
Pojer, Raffaele
Passerini, Andrea
Larsen, Kim G.
Jaeger, Manfred
Artificial Intelligence
Graph neural networks (GNNs) excel at predictive tasks on graph-structured data but often lack the ability to incorporate symbolic domain knowledge and perform general reasoning. Relational Bayesian Networks (RBNs), in contrast, enable fully generative probabilistic modeling over graph-like structures and support rich symbolic knowledge and probabilistic inference. This paper presents a neuro-symbolic framework that seamlessly integrates GNNs into RBNs, combining the learning strength of GNNs with the flexible reasoning capabilities of RBNs. We develop two implementations of this integration: one compiles GNNs directly into the native RBN language, while the other maintains the GNN as an external component. Both approaches preserve the semantics and computational properties of GNNs while fully aligning with the RBN modeling paradigm. We also propose a maximum a-posteriori (MAP) inference method for these neuro-symbolic models. To demonstrate the framework's versatility, we apply it to two distinct problems. First, we transform a GNN for node classification into a collective classification model that explicitly models homo- and heterophilic label patterns, substantially improving accuracy. Second, we introduce a multi-objective network optimization problem in environmental planning, where MAP inference supports complex decision-making. Both applications include new publicly available benchmark datasets. This work introduces a powerful and coherent neuro-symbolic approach to graph data, bridging learning and reasoning in ways that enable novel applications and improved performance across diverse tasks.
title A Neuro-Symbolic Approach for Probabilistic Reasoning on Graph Data
topic Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.21873