A Transparent AI-Driven Multiclass Decision Support System for Thyroid Risk Prediction Using Machine Learning and Deep Learning Approaches

Abstract Early and accurate diagnosis of thyroid disorders is essential due to their prevalence and health impact. To enhance interpretability in clinical settings, we propose a comprehensive workflow for transparent thyroid disease prediction using a multiclass classification problem with five diagnostic categories. A dataset of 9172 samples with 31 features was used to train various machine and deep learning models. A dual-layered framework combining Feature Selection (ETC, MI, RFE) and Explainable AI (SHAP, LIME) improved performance and transparency. Gradient Boosting achieved the highest accuracy (0.97). SHAP explained global feature influence, while LIME clarified individual predictions. Our approach supports interpretable, reliable AI-based diagnostic tools for thyroid disorder classification.