Many applications of representation learning, such as privacy preservation, algorithmic fairness, and domain adaptation, desire explicit control over semantic information being discarded. This goal is formulated as satisfying two objectives: maximizing utility for predicting a target attribute while simultaneously being invariant (independent) to a known semantic attribute. Solutions to invariant representation learning (IRepL) problems lead to a trade-off between utility and invariance when they are competing. While existing works study bounds on this trade-off, two questions remain outstanding: 1) What is the exact trade-off between utility and invariance? and 2) What are the encoders (mapping the data to a representation) that achieve the trade-off, and how can we estimate it from training data? This paper addresses these questions for IRepLs in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS)s. Under the assumption that the distribution of a low-dimensional projection of high-dimensional data is approximately normal, we derive a closed-form solution for the global optima of the underlying optimization problem for encoders in RKHSs. This yields closed formulae for a near-optimal trade-off, corresponding optimal representation dimensionality, and the corresponding encoder(s). We also numerically quantify the trade-off on representative problems and compare them to those achieved by baseline IRepL algorithms.
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Efficient Splitting of Test and Simulation Cases for the Verification of Highly Automated Driving Functions
We address the question of feasibility of tests to verify highly automated driving functions by optimizing the trade-off between virtual tests for verifying safety properties and physical tests for validating the models used for such verification. We follow a quantitative approach based on a probabilistic treatment of the different quantities in question. That is, we quantify the accuracy of a model in terms of its probabilistic prediction ability. Similarly, we quantify the compliance of a system with its requirements in terms of the probability of satisfying these requirements. Depending on the costs of an individual virtual and physical test we are then able to calculate an optimal trade-off between physical and virtual tests, yet guaranteeing a probability of satisfying all requirements.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1743772
- PAR ID:
- 10076312
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- SAFECOMP 2018: Computer Safety, Reliability, and Security
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 139 - 153
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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