New method optimizes black-box functions using generative models and Wasserstein distance.
problem Optimizing black-box functions with stochastic responses in high dimensions.
method Deep generative surrogate models and Wasserstein distance for uncertainty estimation.
result Method outperforms state-of-the-art methods in robustness to function shape and stochasticity.
Optimize black-box simulators with local generative models.
problem Optimizing non-differentiable, stochastic simulators with intractable likelihoods.
method Differentiable local surrogate models based on deep generative models.
result Local surrogates enable gradient-based optimization, faster than baseline methods.
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.
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.
ALFI improves likelihood-free inference for black-box generators.
problem Limitations of likelihood-free inference on black-box generators.
method Adversarial Likelihood-Free Inference (ALFI) to estimate posterior distributions.
result ALFI achieves best parameter estimation accuracy with limited simulation.
New method optimizes sensor placement for stochastic systems efficiently.
problem Optimizing sensor placements for black-box stochastic systems with computational constraints.
method Trains a joint energy-based model on simulation data to learn parameter and solution distributions, allowing efficient sensor placement.
result Demonstrates lower computational cost and more informative sensor locations compared to conventional approaches.
TVR optimizes black-box simulators by targeting variance reduction over control and noise parameters.
problem Optimizing black-box simulators with uncertain parameters.
method Targeted Variance Reduction (TVR) method that optimizes (x,θ) jointly. result Improved robust optimization performance over state-of-the-art methods.
Divide-and-conquer framework speeds up black-box inference for large data.
problem Computational intractability of uncertainty quantification for expensive data simulation.
method Divide data into partitions, train on a subset, bootstrap on partitions, combine results.
result Feasibility of estimating max-stable process parameters with tens of thousands of locations.
New methods improve Bayesian inference for complex economic models.
problem Difficulty in parameter estimation for simulation models, especially in economics.
method Neural network-based black-box approximate Bayesian inference methods.
result Neural network methods provide state-of-the-art parameter inference for economic simulation 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.
Scout-Nd optimizes parameters of stochastic simulators efficiently.
problem Optimizing parameters of stochastic, computationally expensive simulators.
method Scout-Nd algorithm, reducing gradient noise, multi-fidelity schemes.
result Demonstrates better performance compared to existing methods.
New method optimizes expensive simulations for complex systems.
problem Optimizing complex systems with limited expensive experiments.
method Black-box Optimization via Marginal Means (BOMM) approach.
result BOMM improves optimization performance in high dimensions.
Bayesian optimisation tackles expensive black-box functions with constraints.
problem Optimizing constrained black-box functions in machine learning and simulation.
method Proposes a new Knowledge Gradient acquisition function for constrained Bayesian optimisation.
result Demonstrates superior performance over four state-of-the-art constrained Bayesian optimisation algorithms.
In this work, we explore how probabilistic programs can be used to represent policies in sequential decision problems. In this formulation, a probabilistic program is a black-box stochastic simulator for both the problem domain and the agent. We relate classic policy gradient techniques to recently introduced black-box…
Proposes a method to ensure accurate estimation of rare events in AI systems.
problem Lack of efficiency guarantees in black-box systems for rare-event simulation.
method Integrates deep learning with importance sampling to create a statistically guaranteed estimator.
result Demonstrates effective estimation of rare-event probabilities in AI systems.
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.
This work defines observation-specific explanations for black-box models.
problem Assigning importance to data points in black-box model predictions.
method Surrogate model construction using scattered data approximation and orthogonal matching pursuit.
result Validated approach on simulated and real-world datasets.
Stabilizing black-box algorithms through task-oriented randomization
problem Ensuring stability of black-box models
method Task-oriented randomization
result Established rigorous theoretical foundations and demonstrated effectiveness through simulations and real-world applications
While autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has shown substantial progress, we still lack tools for rigorous and scalable testing. Real-world testing, the de-facto evaluation method, is dangerous to the public. Moreover, due to the rare nature of failures, billions of miles of driving are needed to statisticall…
Efficiently controls unknown linear systems with black-box interactions.
problem Controlling an unknown linear dynamical system from black-box interactions.
method First efficient algorithm with sublinear regret, using robust system identification.
result Resolves open problem on stochastic LQR and black-box LQR control.
Interpretable deep learning is a fundamental building block towards safer AI, especially when the deployment possibilities of deep learning-based computer-aided medical diagnostic systems are so eminent. However, without a computational formulation of black-box interpretation, general interpretability research rely hea…
Operator learning approximates complex mappings for PDEs and experimental data.
problem Approximating mappings between infinite-dimensional function spaces for scientific computing.
method Formalizing operator learning as function-to-function regression and incorporating physical constraints.
result Development of rigorous uncertainty quantification frameworks for operator learning.
Develops significance tests for neural networks without strong assumptions or excessive computation.
problem Addressing the black-box nature of deep neural networks for feature relevance testing.
method Derives one-split and two-split tests relaxing assumptions and computational complexity.
result Establishes asymptotic null distributions and consistency in Type II error.
Generative neural network simulates characteristic functions.
problem Simulating from characteristic functions inaccessible in closed form.
method Generative neural network with Maximum-Mean-Discrepancy loss.
result Universal algorithm independent of dimensionality and function properties.
We propose a training method for deep neural network (DNN)-based source enhancement to increase objective sound quality assessment (OSQA) scores such as the perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ). In many conventional studies, DNNs have been used as a mapping function to estimate time-frequency masks and traine…
Survey connects XAI and surrogate modeling for better understanding of complex systems.
problem Opaque surrogate models hide input-output relationships, hindering decision-making.
method Synthesizes XAI techniques with surrogate modeling workflows.
result Surrogate models can be made more interpretable using XAI methods.
Recent work in model-agnostic explanations of black-box machine learning has demonstrated that interpretability of complex models does not have to come at the cost of accuracy or model flexibility. However, it is not clear what kind of explanations, such as linear models, decision trees, and rule lists, are the appropr…
Survey of algorithms for testing AI-driven CPS safety.
problem Testing AI-driven CPS for safety in complex environments.
method Survey of applied algorithms for safety validation.
result Survey of existing tools and techniques for safety validation.
Modern control theories such as systems engineering approaches try to solve nonlinear system problems by revelation of causal relationship or co-relationship among the components; most of those approaches focus on control of sophisticatedly modeled white-boxed systems. We suggest an application of actor-critic reinforc…
We generalize stochastic smoothing for gradient estimation of non-differentiable functions.
problem Gradient estimation for non-differentiable functions.
method Developed a general framework for relaxation and gradient estimation of non-differentiable black-box functions using stochastic smoothing with reduced assumptions.
result Empirically validated the effectiveness of variance reduction strategies for various non-differentiable tasks.
Personalizes pre-trained models for nonparametric regression with limited data.
problem Improving data efficiency in nonparametric regression with few samples.
method Develops a theoretical framework and algorithms for few-shot personalization of black-box models.
result Achieves minimax optimal rate for personalization in nonparametric regression.
Epidemiology simulations have become a fundamental tool in the fight against the epidemics of various infectious diseases like AIDS and malaria. However, the complicated and stochastic nature of these simulators can mean their output is difficult to interpret, which reduces their usefulness to policymakers. In this pap…
Paper presents efficient IS for tail risk estimation with machine learning features.
problem Estimating Value at Risk and Conditional Value at Risk with black-box access.
method Efficient Importance Sampling algorithm with self-structuring transformation.
result Asymptotically optimal variance reduction in logarithmic scale.
PCTS optimizes noisy, delayed, multi-fidelity feedbacks in black-box optimization.
problem Optimizing unknown functions with noisy, delayed, and multi-fidelity feedbacks.
method ProCrastinated Tree Search (PCTS) with DUCB1 and DUCBV algorithms.
result PCTS achieves better regret bounds for delayed, noisy, and multi-fidelity feedbacks.
The paper improves prediction intervals for non-parametric regression using histograms.
problem Computing accurate prediction intervals for non-parametric regression models.
method Uses conditional histograms to estimate conditional distributions and compute shortest prediction intervals.
result The method provides prediction intervals with provable marginal coverage and asymptotic conditional coverage.
We present DRLViz, a visual analytics interface to interpret the internal memory of an agent (e.g. a robot) trained using deep reinforcement learning. This memory is composed of large temporal vectors updated when the agent moves in an environment and is not trivial to understand due to the number of dimensions, depend…
This work improves neural likelihood surrogates for stochastic models with a score-augmented loss.
problem Efficient parameter inference for stochastic models with computationally expensive likelihood functions.
method Score-augmented loss function for neural network likelihood surrogates.
result Improves surrogate quality at a lower computational cost compared to generating more data.
We introduce a new model-agnostic explanation technique which explains the prediction of any classifier called CLE. CLE gives an faithful and interpretable explanation to the prediction, by approximating the model locally using an interpretable model. We demonstrate the flexibility of CLE by explaining different models…
Improves reliability of BBVI optimization methods.
problem Reliability issues and expertise required for BBVI optimization.
method RABVI framework with automated learning rate adjustment and KL divergence estimation.
result RABVI detects inaccurate variational approximations and optimizes reliability.
This paper simplifies deep ReLU networks into local linear models for better interpretability.
problem Limited transparency and interpretability of deep neural networks, especially ReLU networks.
method Local linear representation and equivalent set of local linear models (LLMs).
result Simplified deep ReLU networks for better interpretability and diagnostics.
Defines a new metric to measure importance of predictors in complex machine learning models.
problem Measuring importance of predictors in black box machine learning models.
method Introduces a new metric, GVIM, based on true conditional expectation functions and causal interpretation.
result The GVIM can be represented as a function of Conditional Average Treatment Effect (CATE), providing a causal interpretation.
A2D2E designs optimal evaluations for estimating main effects in black-box models.
problem Sensitivity to OOD evaluations and instability under feature correlation in estimating black-box model effects.
method A2D2E uses D-optimal hypercube designs to minimize main effect estimation variance.
result A2D2E outperforms existing methods, especially under high feature correlation.
Existing works on "black-box" model interpretation use local-linear approximations to explain the predictions made for each data instance in terms of the importance assigned to the different features for arriving at the prediction. These works provide instancewise explanations and thus give a local view of the model. T…
We introduce a framework using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for likelihood--free inference (LFI) and Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) where we replace the black-box simulator model with an approximator network and generate a rich set of summary features in a data driven fashion. On benchmark data sets, …
Canonical correlation analysis was proposed by Hotelling [6] and it measures linear relationship between two multidimensional variables. In high dimensional setting, the classical canonical correlation analysis breaks down. We propose a sparse canonical correlation analysis by adding l1 constraints on the canonical vec…
In this article, we consider a stochastic numerical simulator to assess the impact of some factors on a phenomenon. The simulator is seen as a black box with inputs and outputs. The quality of a simulation, hereafter referred to as fidelity, is assumed to be tunable by means of an additional input of the simulator (e.g…
We present a framework for automatically structuring and training fast, approximate, deep neural surrogates of stochastic simulators. Unlike traditional approaches to surrogate modeling, our surrogates retain the interpretable structure and control flow of the reference simulator. Our surrogates target stochastic simul…
The central aim in this paper is to address variable selection questions in nonlinear and nonparametric regression. Motivated by statistical genetics, where nonlinear interactions are of particular interest, we introduce a novel and interpretable way to summarize the relative importance of predictor variables. Methodol…