Understanding how a learned black box works is of crucial interest for the future of Machine Learning. In this paper, we pioneer the question of the global interpretability of learned black box models that assign numerical values to symbolic sequential data. To tackle that task, we propose a spectral algorithm for the …
Black box machine learning models are currently being used for high stakes decision-making throughout society, causing problems throughout healthcare, criminal justice, and in other domains. People have hoped that creating methods for explaining these black box models will alleviate some of these problems, but trying t…
Bayesian optimization outperformed random search in machine learning hyperparameter tuning challenge.
problem Optimizing hyperparameters of machine learning models using derivative-free methods.
method Bayesian optimization vs. random search on real datasets.
result Bayesian optimization significantly outperformed random search in held-out objective functions.
New symmetries improve meta-reinforcement learning's generalization.
problem Black-box meta reinforcement learning struggles with generalization.
method Introduce symmetries to a black-box meta RL system.
result Incorporating symmetries improves generalization to new environments.
Deep neural networks work well at approximating complicated functions when provided with data and trained by gradient descent methods. At the same time, there is a vast amount of existing functions that programmatically solve different tasks in a precise manner eliminating the need for training. In many cases, it is po…
Paper proposes a new black-box attack approach to minimize visual distortion.
problem Constructing adversarial examples that minimize visual distortion in a black-box threat model.
method Learning the noise distribution of adversarial examples to approximate the gradient of a non-differentiable loss function.
result The proposed attack results in much lower visual distortion compared to state-of-the-art black-box attacks.
REST improves robustness of black-box models to geometric transformations.
problem Overconfident incorrect predictions on out-of-distribution samples.
method REinforcement Spatial Transform learner (REST) that transforms input data into in-distribution samples.
result Improves robustness to geometric transformations and sample efficiency.
Paper introduces DNTs to clone black-box models efficiently.
problem Cloning functionality of black-box models.
method Deep Neural Trees (DNTs) trained with active learning.
result Trained DNT can clone task-specific behavior of black-box models.
Adapts model-based advice to stabilize black-box policies for nonlinear control.
problem Stabilizing machine-learned policies for nonlinear control with limited model information.
method Proposes an adaptive λ-confident policy to combine black-box and model-based advice. result Proves the stability of the adaptive λ-confident policy and its competitive ratio. BAR reprograms black-box ML models for transfer learning with scarce data.
problem Transfer learning with limited data and resources.
method Zeroth-order optimization and multi-label mapping techniques to reprogram black-box models.
result BAR outperforms state-of-the-art methods and baseline transfer learning approaches.
NP-Attack reduces query counts for black-box adversarial attacks.
problem Efficiency of black-box adversarial attacks is low.
method Uses Neural Process to characterize image structure and find adversarial examples.
result NP-Attack significantly decreases query counts.
Spanning attack improves black-box attacks with unlabeled data.
problem Query inefficiency in black-box attacks due to high input space dimensionality.
method Proposes spanning attack by constraining adversarial perturbations in a low-dimensional subspace via an auxiliary unlabeled dataset.
result Significantly improves query efficiency of black-box attacks.
Study adversarial perturbations in classification, analyzing learning and certification.
problem Formal study of classification under adversarial perturbations from both learner and third-party perspectives.
method PAC-type semi-supervised learning framework, black-box certification under limited query budget, adversary analysis.
result Existence of a polynomial query complexity adversary implies the existence of a sample efficient robust learner.
LA-MCTS learns search space partition for black-box optimization using Monte Carlo Tree Search.
problem High-dimensional black-box optimization challenges.
method LA-MCTS recursively splits search space into regions with high/low function values, learns nonlinear partition and local models online.
result LA-MCTS achieves strong performance in black-box optimization and reinforcement learning benchmarks, especially for high-dimensional problems.
Bayesian optimization (BO) is a successful methodology to optimize black-box functions that are expensive to evaluate. While traditional methods optimize each black-box function in isolation, there has been recent interest in speeding up BO by transferring knowledge across multiple related black-box functions. In this …
Adapts example weights to optimize black-box metrics.
problem Optimizing metrics defined by black-box functions.
method Adaptive example weighting and iterative post-shifting.
result Improves classification performance compared to baselines.
We address challenges in collaborative black-box optimization through three frameworks.
problem Challenges in distributed experimentation, heterogeneity, and privacy in black-box optimization.
method Three unifying frameworks: global, local, and predictive.
result Shift from descriptive/predictive to prescriptive federated learning in black-box optimization.
Unified framework for scalable black-box optimization.
problem Expensive black-box evaluations in scientific and engineering domains.
method Integrates active learning, multi-armed bandits, and distributed computing.
result Consistently outperforms state-of-the-art black-box optimizers.
Transfer learning improves model robustness against adversarial attacks.
problem Understanding how transfer learning affects model robustness against adversarial attacks.
method Extensive empirical evaluations of white-box and black-box attacks on fine-tuned transfer learning models.
result Adversarial examples are more transferable when fine-tuning is used than when networks are trained independently.
QBVI uses natural gradients for efficient Bayesian learning.
problem Efficient Bayesian learning in complex models.
method Natural gradient updates in a black-box framework for exponential-family distributions.
result QBVI framework is effective for a wide range of Bayesian inference problems.
New approach tackles non-stationary multi-agent games with black-box methods.
problem Challenges in learning equilibria in non-stationary multi-agent systems.
method Versatile black-box approach applicable to various games, including general-sum, potential, and Markov games.
result Achieves optimal regret bounds for non-stationary games, with or without knowledge of total variation.
Many deployed learned models are black boxes: given input, returns output. Internal information about the model, such as the architecture, optimisation procedure, or training data, is not disclosed explicitly as it might contain proprietary information or make the system more vulnerable. This work shows that such attri…
Recently, neural networks trained as optimizers under the "learning to learn" or meta-learning framework have been shown to be effective for a broad range of optimization tasks including derivative-free black-box function optimization. Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) trained to optimize a diverse set of synthetic non-…
Efficient method for generating adversarial examples with limited query budget.
problem Developing black-box adversarial attacks with limited information.
method Bayesian Optimization in a structured low-dimensional subspace.
result Significantly higher attack success rate with fewer queries.
A new method for optimizing black-box problems with constraints.
problem Optimizing black-box systems with multiple performance criteria and constraints.
method Developed a novel constrained Bayesian optimization approach based on the knowledge gradient method.
result A new acquisition function that balances optimality and feasibility.
Paper exposes vulnerabilities in interpreting machine learning models using adversarial attacks on PD plots.
problem Vulnerability of permutation-based interpretation methods, particularly PD plots, to adversarial attacks.
method Adversarial framework to manipulate black-box models and produce deceptive PD plots.
result It is possible to hide discriminatory behaviors in machine learning models through interpretation tools like PD plots.
Develops causal explanations for black-box classifiers.
problem Creating understandable explanations for complex models.
method Generative model with information-theoretic measures of causal influence.
result Learned latent factors influence classifier outputs.
Black-box explanation is the problem of explaining how a machine learning model -- whose internal logic is hidden to the auditor and generally complex -- produces its outcomes. Current approaches for solving this problem include model explanation, outcome explanation as well as model inspection. While these techniques …
Extends batch active learning to non-differentiable models.
problem Efficiently training machine learning models on large, initially unlabelled datasets.
method Black-box batch active learning for regression tasks that relies solely on model predictions.
result Achieves strong performance on regression datasets compared to white-box approaches for deep learning models.
Deep-PrAE improves rare-event simulation for black-box systems.
problem Evaluating rare safety-critical events in learning-based systems.
method Combines deep neural networks with IS to create statistically guaranteed estimations.
result Deep-PrAE provides accurate bounds on safety-critical event probabilities.
Interpretable machine learning has become a strong competitor for traditional black-box models. However, the possible loss of the predictive performance for gaining interpretability is often inevitable, putting practitioners in a dilemma of choosing between high accuracy (black-box models) and interpretability (interpr…
Paper proposes ZO-NGD for more efficient black-box attacks.
problem Vulnerability of state-of-the-art DNNs to adversarial attacks.
method Zeroth-order natural gradient descent (ZO-NGD) for black-box attacks.
result ZO-NGD achieves significantly lower model query complexities.
New method wraps black-box classifiers to reduce bias.
problem Reduction of bias in black-box predictions.
method Post-processing with α-trees and boosting algorithms.
result Demonstrated effectiveness in reducing bias across multiple fairness metrics.
Develops black-box methods to estimate parameters of complex models.
problem Lack of efficient methods to produce simulations for complex statistical models.
method Pre-training deep neural networks on extensive simulated databases for well-structured likelihoods. Iterative algorithm for other complex dependencies.
result Successfully estimates and quantifies uncertainty of parameters from non-Gaussian models.
Efficiently optimizes boolean functions using multilinear polynomials and exponential weight updates.
problem Optimizing boolean functions over the boolean hypercube with high computational cost.
method Proposes a computationally efficient algorithm using multilinear polynomials and exponential weight updates.
result Improves computational time up to several orders of magnitude compared to state-of-the-art algorithms.
Matched Machine Learning combines machine learning and matching for causal inference.
problem Non-interpretable methods for causal inference.
method Combines machine learning and matching for interpretable causal inference.
result Performs as well as black-box machine learning methods and better than existing matching methods.
New method improves black-box attacks using pre-trained models.
problem Efficiently attacking black-box models with limited information.
method EigenBA algorithm leveraging pre-trained white-box model's Jacobian matrix.
result Optimal perturbations are related to right singular vectors of Jacobian matrix.
Paper explores how black box models can deviate from average performance.
problem Understanding and interpreting predictions from sophisticated black box models.
method Two general approaches to provide interpretable descriptions of black box classification model performance.
result Identifies regions where black box models deviate significantly from their average performance.
FastSHAP speeds up Shapley value estimation for black-box models.
problem Efficiently calculating Shapley values for complex models.
method Uses a learned explainer model in a single forward pass.
result Generates high-quality explanations with significant speedup.
This work proposes xGEMs or manifold guided exemplars, a framework to understand black-box classifier behavior by exploring the landscape of the underlying data manifold as data points cross decision boundaries. To do so, we train an unsupervised implicit generative model -- treated as a proxy to the data manifold. We …
Paper proposes a black-box technique to generate adversarial samples.
problem Robustness of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) to adversarial samples.
method Black-box Momentum Iterative Fast Gradient Sign Method (BMI-FGSM) using Differential Evolution to approximate gradients.
result Achieves high success rates in generating adversarial samples and misclassification.
Orthogonal deep models defend against black-box attacks by ensuring internal representations are nearly orthogonal.
problem Vulnerability of deep learning models to black-box adversarial attacks.
method Introduce a gradient regularization scheme to encourage deep models' internal representations to be orthogonal to another model's.
result Orthogonal deep models significantly boost robustness against transferable black-box adversarial attacks.
New analysis for black-box learning without gradients, improving generalization bounds.
problem Generalization error analysis for derivative-free optimization.
method Zeroth-order Stochastic Search (ZoSS) algorithm for Lipschitz and smooth losses.
result Generalization bounds independent of model dimension, batch size, and number of perturbed evaluations.
RAAL optimizes black box function optimization with multifidelity models.
problem Time-consuming and unfeasible black box optimization.
method Resource Aware Multifidelity Active Learning (RAAL) for efficient optimization.
result RAAL optimizes black box function optimization with multifidelity models.
SMILE improves explainability of machine learning models.
problem Difficulty in understanding and trusting the conclusions of black-box machine learning models.
method Statistical Model-agnostic Interpretability with Local Explanations (SMILE).
result SMILE makes machine learning models more interpretable.
Many methods to explain black-box models, whether local or global, are additive. In this paper, we study global additive explanations for non-additive models, focusing on four explanation methods: partial dependence, Shapley explanations adapted to a global setting, distilled additive explanations, and gradient-based e…
Note that this paper is superceded by "Black-Box Adversarial Attacks with Limited Queries and Information." Current neural network-based image classifiers are susceptible to adversarial examples, even in the black-box setting, where the attacker is limited to query access without access to gradients. Previous methods -…
Importance sampling is widely used in machine learning and statistics, but its power is limited by the restriction of using simple proposals for which the importance weights can be tractably calculated. We address this problem by studying black-box importance sampling methods that calculate importance weights for sampl…