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Autori principali: Martínez-García, María, Villacrés, Grace, Mitchell, David, Olmos, Pablo M.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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Accesso online:https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.07840
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author Martínez-García, María
Villacrés, Grace
Mitchell, David
Olmos, Pablo M.
author_facet Martínez-García, María
Villacrés, Grace
Mitchell, David
Olmos, Pablo M.
contents Despite advances in deep probabilistic models, learning discrete latent representations remains challenging. This work introduces a novel method to improve inference in discrete Variational Autoencoders by reframing the inference problem through a generative perspective. We conceptualize the model as a communication system, and propose to leverage Error-Correcting Codes (ECCs) to introduce redundancy in latent representations, allowing the variational posterior to produce more accurate estimates and reduce the variational gap. We present a proof-of-concept using a Discrete Variational Autoencoder with binary latent variables and low-complexity repetition codes, extending it to a hierarchical structure for disentangling global and local data features. Our approach significantly improves generation quality, data reconstruction, and uncertainty calibration, outperforming the uncoded models even when trained with tighter bounds such as the Importance Weighted Autoencoder objective. We also outline the properties that ECCs should possess to be effectively utilized for improved discrete variational inference.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_07840
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Improved Variational Inference in Discrete VAEs using Error Correcting Codes
Martínez-García, María
Villacrés, Grace
Mitchell, David
Olmos, Pablo M.
Machine Learning
Despite advances in deep probabilistic models, learning discrete latent representations remains challenging. This work introduces a novel method to improve inference in discrete Variational Autoencoders by reframing the inference problem through a generative perspective. We conceptualize the model as a communication system, and propose to leverage Error-Correcting Codes (ECCs) to introduce redundancy in latent representations, allowing the variational posterior to produce more accurate estimates and reduce the variational gap. We present a proof-of-concept using a Discrete Variational Autoencoder with binary latent variables and low-complexity repetition codes, extending it to a hierarchical structure for disentangling global and local data features. Our approach significantly improves generation quality, data reconstruction, and uncertainty calibration, outperforming the uncoded models even when trained with tighter bounds such as the Importance Weighted Autoencoder objective. We also outline the properties that ECCs should possess to be effectively utilized for improved discrete variational inference.
title Improved Variational Inference in Discrete VAEs using Error Correcting Codes
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.07840