We propose scalable methods to execute counting queries in machine learning applications. To achieve memory and computational efficiency, we abstract counting queries and their context such that the counts can be aggregated as a stream. We demonstrate performance and scalability of the resulting approach on random quer…
We focus on the problem of black-box adversarial attacks, where the aim is to generate adversarial examples using information limited to loss function evaluations of input-output pairs. We use Bayesian optimization~(BO) to specifically cater to scenarios involving low query budgets to develop query efficient adversaria…
Discrete Gaussian noise preserves privacy and accuracy in differential privacy.
problem Finite computers cannot represent continuous Gaussian noise, leading to privacy breaches and loss of interpretability.
method Introduced and analyzed discrete Gaussian noise, providing privacy and accuracy guarantees similar to continuous Gaussian noise.
result Discrete Gaussian noise offers the same privacy and accuracy as continuous Gaussian noise, with efficient sampling algorithms.
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.
The paper develops methods to estimate frequencies in large discrete data sets with improved coverage and robustness.
problem Estimating frequencies in large, discrete data sets with valid coverage and robustness.
method Conformal inference methods using discrete sketches, marginal coverage for queries, and novel conformal calibration.
result Improved empirical performance compared to existing methods in simulations and real data.
This paper investigates differentially private analysis of distance-based outliers. The problem of outlier detection is to find a small number of instances that are apparently distant from the remaining instances. On the other hand, the objective of differential privacy is to conceal presence (or absence) of any partic…
Recent studies have shown that adversarial examples in state-of-the-art image classifiers trained by deep neural networks (DNN) can be easily generated when the target model is transparent to an attacker, known as the white-box setting. However, when attacking a deployed machine learning service, one can only acquire t…
Study of active learning in geometric block model for community detection.
problem Active learning for community detection in geometric block model.
method Proposed two active learning algorithms combining motif-counting with label query policies.
result Sampling labels of a vanishingly small fraction of nodes is sufficient for exact recovery.
Noisy Max and Sparse Vector are selection algorithms for differential privacy and serve as building blocks for more complex algorithms. In this paper we show that both algorithms can release additional information for free (i.e., at no additional privacy cost). Noisy Max is used to return the approximate maximizer amon…
Enhances CMS with Bayesian nonparametrics for better low-frequency token estimation.
problem Improving frequency estimation of low-frequency tokens in data streams.
method Integrates Bayesian nonparametrics (Pitman-Yor process) into CMS for more accurate frequency estimation.
result CMS-PYP outperforms CMS and CMS-DP in estimating low-frequency tokens.
Neuro# learns heuristics to speed up #SAT solvers.
problem Efficiently solving #SAT problems for large industrial instances.
method Learning branching heuristics to improve #SAT solver performance.
result Neuro# reduces step count and wall-clock time on diverse problem families.
Unified tractability conditions for various compositional inference queries.
problem Analyzing tractability of probabilistic and causal inference queries.
method Algebraic perspective on circuits, focusing on semiring operators.
result Unified sufficient conditions for tractable composition of operators.
Exploratory analysis over network data is often limited by the ability to efficiently calculate graph statistics, which can provide a model-free understanding of the macroscopic properties of a network. We introduce a framework for estimating the graphlet count---the number of occurrences of a small subgraph motif (e.g…
This paper quantifies privacy loss in exploratory data analysis.
problem Privacy loss in exploratory data analysis is often overlooked in privacy budgets.
method Quantitative analysis of privacy loss for statistical functions.
result Privacy loss must be considered in calculating machine learning privacy budgets.
Algorithm approximates target distribution using weight queries.
problem Approximating a distribution without sampling.
method Interactive algorithm using weight queries and UCB approach.
result Approximation bound on total variation distance.
Improved DP KDE with better privacy and efficiency.
problem Kernel density estimation with differential privacy.
method Refined search tree construction for DP KDE.
result Improved query time and approximation ratio.
Paper studies how incomplete data affects machine learning, proposing 'Certain Predictions' for NN classifiers.
problem Impact of incomplete and inconsistent data on machine learning applications.
method Extends Certain Answers concept to machine learning, introduces 'Certain Predictions' for NN classifiers.
result Developed efficient solutions for CP queries in NN classifiers, improving classification accuracy.
Test-time training improves sampling efficiency in generative AI.
problem Efficient sampling from complex probability distributions.
method Test-time training (TTT) updates model weights based on partial generations and feedback.
result TTT can adapt to specific sampling tasks, improving sampling efficiency.
Average teaching complexity for locating target regions among halfspace intersections is Θ(d).
problem Teaching the location of a target region among intersections of halfspaces.
method Novel insights from computational geometry to count convex polytopes and faces.
result Average-case teaching complexity is Θ(d), contrasting with Θ(n) worst-case complexity.
This paper uses LLMs for causal discovery with active learning and dynamic scoring to improve efficiency and fairness.
problem High computational demands and complexities of large-scale data in causal discovery.
method Metadata-based approach, BFS strategy, Active Learning, Dynamic Scoring Mechanism, LLM confidence scores.
result Significantly reduced number of queries and improved efficiency in causal graph construction.
Adversarial example generation becomes a viable method for evaluating the robustness of a machine learning model. In this paper, we consider hard-label black-box attacks (a.k.a. decision-based attacks), which is a challenging setting that generates adversarial examples based on only a series of black-box hard-label que…
Segmentation is essential for medical image analysis tasks such as intervention planning, therapy guidance, diagnosis, treatment decisions. Deep learning is becoming increasingly prominent for segmentation, where the lack of annotations, however, often becomes the main limitation. Due to privacy concerns and ethical co…
It has been widely understood that differential privacy (DP) can guarantee rigorous privacy against adversaries with arbitrary prior knowledge. However, recent studies demonstrate that this may not be true for correlated data, and indicate that three factors could influence privacy leakage: the data correlation pattern…
Flexible method for estimating frequencies in large datasets using sketching.
problem Estimating frequencies in very large datasets efficiently and accurately.
method Data-adaptive conformal inference method based on a smaller sketch of data.
result Proves validity of frequentist confidence intervals under data exchangeability.
Multi-modal data collections, such as corpora of paired images and text snippets, require analysis methods beyond single-view component and topic models. For continuous observations the current dominant approach is based on extensions of canonical correlation analysis, factorizing the variation into components shared b…
Counting tripods on a flat torus using lattice point counting.
problem Counting finite BPS webs in flat torus geometry.
method Lattice point counting techniques in C2. result Asymptotic counting result for tripods on the torus.
Solves TOD systems' query annotation problem without explicit annotations.
problem Training TOD systems without explicit KB query annotation.
method Reinforcement learning (RL) and pipelined approach for query prediction and system training.
result Improved RL agent with modifications for TOD tasks.
The paper tackles sequential mode estimation with oracle queries.
problem Adaptively PAC-learning a probability distribution's mode.
method Two query models: index queries and pair queries. Sequential algorithms for mode estimation.
result Lower bounds on optimal query complexity for both models.
Study exact community recovery in noisy SBM with limited queries.
problem Community recovery in noisy stochastic block models with limited queries.
method Balanced uniform querying, two-stage adaptive strategy, sublinear queries, subsampled graph.
result Adaptive querying can improve exact recovery limits in noisy SBM.
Flow Matching for count data improves sample quality and efficiency.
problem Mapping between count distributions across batches or time points in high-dimensional count data.
method count-FM, a flow-matching framework based on a continuous-time birth-death process with local unit jumps.
result count-FM achieves better sample quality than representative baselines while using fewer parameters.
Efficiently classifies binary labels with XOR queries, even under noisy conditions.
problem Binary classification with unknown labels using XOR queries.
method Effective query type and an efficient inference algorithm for noisy conditions.
result Achieves information-theoretic limit on optimal number of queries.
Proposes a new query autocompletion method that maximizes retrieval performance.
problem Users often select suboptimal queries due to unknown best retrieval performance.
method Formulates query autocompletion as ranking item rankings, uses counterfactual learning.
result Empirical results show improved query suggestions for better retrieval performance.
Adapts large transformer model for search query intent understanding.
problem Understanding and predicting user intents from search queries.
method Adapts BERT-like architecture for search queries, accounts for query noisiness and sparseness.
result Builds a shareable deep learning model for query intent identification.
A new method for private query release using Johnson-Lindenstrauss projection.
problem Private release of query answers with minimal privacy loss.
method Random projection of query answers to a lower dimension, followed by noise addition.
result Optimal worst-case sample complexity for answering a workload of k queries.
LAZO reduces query complexity and variance in ZO methods.
problem High query complexity and variance in zeroth-order optimization.
method LAZO uses adaptive lazy queries to reduce variance and save queries.
result LAZO achieves lower regret and query complexity compared to existing methods.
Estimates heavy hitters in data streams with queries, balancing accuracy and efficiency.
problem Identifying elements with high probability in i.i.d. samples.
method Sequential estimation algorithms for two query models: index and pair queries.
result Upper and lower bounds on query complexity for different distributions and noise models.
Query2box embeds complex queries as boxes to handle logical operations in large KGs.
problem Handling complex logical queries on large-scale incomplete knowledge graphs.
method Embed KG entities and queries into a vector space as boxes, handling conjunctions as intersections and disjunctions through Disjunctive Normal Form.
result Query2box achieves up to 25% relative improvement over state-of-the-art methods.
Study modular concept learning with different oracle interfaces.
problem Learning a concept that is a cross product of component concepts.
method Analyze different types of oracle interfaces and queries.
result Modular concept learning is easier with positive examples and membership queries.
Survey of statistical queries and their applications.
problem Understanding statistical queries and their applications.
method Exploration of statistical queries model, definitions, and connections to learnability.
result Connections to learnability and applications in optimization, evolvability, and differential privacy.
We study the query complexity of a learner-private sequential learning problem, motivated by the privacy and security concerns due to eavesdropping that arise in practical applications such as pricing and Federated Learning. A learner tries to estimate an unknown scalar value, by sequentially querying an external datab…
New theorem counts curves on orbifolds.
problem Counting curves on surfaces.
method Applied Mirzakhani's theorem to orbifolds.
result Curve counting theorem extends to orbifolds.
Source coding is the canonical problem of data compression in information theory. In a locally encodable source coding, each compressed bit depends on only few bits of the input. In this paper, we show that a recently popular model of semi-supervised clustering is equivalent to locally encodable source coding. In this …
Lower bounds on queries for Bayesian private learning.
problem Estimating a target within error ε while keeping it hidden from an adversary.
method Lower bound proof using Fano's inequality and proportional-sampling estimators.
result Query complexity is on the order of Llog(1/ε) for accurate estimation. A new query embedding method improves KB performance on complex queries.
problem QE systems disagree with deductive reasoning on some queries.
method A novel QE method more faithful to deductive reasoning.
result Better performance on complex queries to incomplete KBs.
In this paper we study the adaptive learnability of decision trees of depth at most d from membership queries. This has many applications in automated scientific discovery such as drugs development and software update problem. Feldman solves the problem in a randomized polynomial time algorithm that asks $\tilde O(2^…
We study black-box attacks on machine learning classifiers where each query to the model incurs some cost or risk of detection to the adversary. We focus explicitly on minimizing the number of queries as a major objective. Specifically, we consider the problem of attacking machine learning classifiers subject to a budg…
Fairly allocate items with noisy queries, reducing envy.
problem Fairly allocate indivisible goods with unknown valuations.
method Use Gaussian noisy queries to find an envy-free allocation.
result The optimal number of queries scales as \( \frac{m^{2.5}}{Δ^2} \) for large negative-envy.
This paper models the crowdsourced labeling/classification problem as a sparsely encoded source coding problem, where each query answer, regarded as a code bit, is the XOR of a small number of labels, as source information bits. In this paper we leverage the connections between this problem and well-studied codes with …