An information theoretic limit to data amplification

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Watts, S. J., Crow, L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866916541419749376
author Watts, S. J.
Crow, L.
author_facet Watts, S. J.
Crow, L.
contents In recent years generative artificial intelligence has been used to create data to support science analysis. For example, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been trained using Monte Carlo simulated input and then used to generate data for the same problem. This has the advantage that a GAN creates data in a significantly reduced computing time. N training events for a GAN can result in GN generated events with the gain factor, G, being more than one. This appears to violate the principle that one cannot get information for free. This is not the only way to amplify data so this process will be referred to as data amplification which is studied using information theoretic concepts. It is shown that a gain of greater than one is possible whilst keeping the information content of the data unchanged. This leads to a mathematical bound which only depends on the number of generated and training events. This study determines conditions on both the underlying and reconstructed probability distributions to ensure this bound. In particular, the resolution of variables in amplified data is not improved by the process but the increase in sample size can still improve statistical significance. The bound is confirmed using computer simulation and analysis of GAN generated data from the literature.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_18041
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle An information theoretic limit to data amplification
Watts, S. J.
Crow, L.
Machine Learning
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability
In recent years generative artificial intelligence has been used to create data to support science analysis. For example, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been trained using Monte Carlo simulated input and then used to generate data for the same problem. This has the advantage that a GAN creates data in a significantly reduced computing time. N training events for a GAN can result in GN generated events with the gain factor, G, being more than one. This appears to violate the principle that one cannot get information for free. This is not the only way to amplify data so this process will be referred to as data amplification which is studied using information theoretic concepts. It is shown that a gain of greater than one is possible whilst keeping the information content of the data unchanged. This leads to a mathematical bound which only depends on the number of generated and training events. This study determines conditions on both the underlying and reconstructed probability distributions to ensure this bound. In particular, the resolution of variables in amplified data is not improved by the process but the increase in sample size can still improve statistical significance. The bound is confirmed using computer simulation and analysis of GAN generated data from the literature.
title An information theoretic limit to data amplification
topic Machine Learning
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.18041