







Active Learning for Convolutional Neural Networks: A Core-Set Approach
Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been successfully applied to many recognition and learning tasks using a universal recipe; training a deep model on a very large dataset of supervised examples. However, this approach is rather restrictive in practice since collecting a large set of labeled images is very expensive. One way to ease this problem is coming up with smart ways for choosing images to be labelled from a very large collection (i.e. active learning). Our empirical study suggests that many of the active learning heuristics in the literature are not effective when applied to CNNs when applied in batch setting. Inspired by these limitations, we define the problem of active learning as core-set selection, i.e. choosing set of points such that a model learned over the selected subset is competitive for the remaining data points. We further present a theoretical result characterizing the performance of any selected subset using the geometry of the datapoints. As an active learning algorithm, we choose the subset which is expected to yield best result according to our characterization. Our experiments show that the proposed method significantly outperforms existing approaches in image classification experiments by a large margin.
Deep Batch Active Learning by Diverse, Uncertain Gradient Lower Bounds
We design a new algorithm for batch active learning with deep neural network models. Our algorithm, Batch Active learning by Diverse Gradient Embeddings (BADGE), samples groups of points that are disparate and high-magnitude when represented in a hallucinated gradient space, a strategy designed to incorporate both predictive uncertainty and sample diversity into every selected batch. Crucially, BADGE trades off between diversity and uncertainty without requiring any hand-tuned hyperparameters. While other approaches sometimes succeed for particular batch sizes or architectures, BADGE consistently performs as well or better, making it a useful option for real world active learning problems.
An Introduction to Statistical Learning
As the scale and scope of data collection continue to increase across virtually all fields, statistical learning has become a critical toolkit for anyone who wishes to understand data. An Introduction to Statistical Learning provides a broad and less technical treatment of key topics in statistical learning. This book is appropriate for anyone who wishes to use contemporary tools for data analysis.
Large-Scale Study of Curiosity-Driven Learning
Burda*, Edwards*, Pathak* et.al. (* equal contribution, alphabetical order) Large-Scale Study of Curiosity-Driven Learning. 2018.

The Famine of Forte: Few Search Problems Greatly Favor Your Algorithm
Casting machine learning as a type of search, we demonstrate that the proportion of problems that are favorable for a fixed algorithm is strictly bounded, such that no single algorithm can perform well over a large fraction of them. Our results explain why we must either continue to develop new learning methods year after year or move towards highly parameterized models that are both flexible and sensitive to their hyperparameters. We further give an upper bound on the expected performance for a search algorithm as a function of the mutual information between the target and the information resource (e.g., training dataset), proving the importance of certain types of dependence for machine learning. Lastly, we show that the expected per-query probability of success for an algorithm is mathematically equivalent to a single-query probability of success under a distribution (called a search strategy), and prove that the proportion of favorable strategies is also strictly bounded. Thus, whether one holds fixed the search algorithm and considers all possible problems or one fixes the search problem and looks at all possible search strategies, favorable matches are exceedingly rare. The forte (strength) of any algorithm is quantifiably restricted.

The Famine of Forte: Few Search Problems Greatly Favor Your Algorithm
Casting machine learning as a type of search, we demonstrate that the proportion of problems that are favorable for a fixed algorithm is strictly bounded, such that no single algorithm can perform well over a large fraction of them. Our results explain why we must either continue to develop new learning methods year after year or move towards highly parameterized models that are both flexible and sensitive to their hyperparameters. We further give an upper bound on the expected performance for a search algorithm as a function of the mutual information between the target and the information resource (e.g., training dataset), proving the importance of certain types of dependence for machine learning. Lastly, we show that the expected per-query probability of success for an algorithm is mathematically equivalent to a single-query probability of success under a distribution (called a search strategy), and prove that the proportion of favorable strategies is also strictly bounded. Thus, whether one holds fixed the search algorithm and considers all possible problems or one fixes the search problem and looks at all possible search strategies, favorable matches are exceedingly rare. The forte (strength) of any algorithm is quantifiably restricted.

Optimal and Diffusion Transports in Machine Learning
Slides for a general introduction to the use of Optimal Transport methods in learning, with an emphasis on diffusion models, flow matching, training 2 l…

Machine Learning | Google for Developers

Machine Learning Algorithms, Applications: Key Methods, Real-World Uses
Key Takeaways Traditional algorithms such as regression, decision trees, boosting, clustering, and PCA remain highly useful for practical ML problems.Neural net

Strategies for effective transfer learning for HRTEM analysis with neural networks
A series of case studies using simulated datasets to explore successful recipes for transfer learning

Query by committee
We propose an algorithm called query by commitee, in which a committee of students is trained on the same data set. The next query is chosen according to the principle of maximal disagreement. The algorithm is studied for two toy models: the high-low game and perceptron learning of another perceptron. As the number of queries goes to infinity, the committee algorithm yields asymptotically finite information gain. This leads to generalization error that decreases exponentially with the number of examples. This in marked contrast to learning from randomly chosen inputs, for which the information gain approaches zero and the generalization error decreases with a relatively slow inverse power law. We suggest that asymptotically finite information gain may be an important characteristic of good query algorithms.
The Data Minimization Principle in Machine Learning
The principle of data minimization aims to reduce the amount of data collected, processed or retained to minimize the potential for misuse, unauthorized access, or data breaches. Rooted in...
