AI Model Performance Estimation Without Labels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing machine learning models face challenges in estimating their performance on unlabeled datasets, particularly when these datasets are statistically different from the labeled datasets used for training, due to data drift or concept drift, making it difficult to predict model performance without access to ground-truth labels.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of importance sampling and a discriminator technique to reweight labeled in-sample data to resemble unlabeled out-of-sample data, allowing for the estimation of performance metrics like precision, recall, and ROC-AUC without relying on ground-truth labels, by calculating the ratio of probabilities between in-sample and out-of-sample data distributions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional evaluation methods using labeled datasets are used, then model performance can be accurately measured, but the method is not applicable to unlabeled datasets and requires additional labeling resources

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemodel performance measurement accuracyVSAvoidapplicability to unlabeled datasets
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using a trained model's predictions on unlabeled data as a substitute for ground truth labels. The method creates a feedback loop where the model evaluates its own performance on unlabeled datasets by comparing predictions against the training distribution, enabling performance measurement without traditional labeled evaluation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a copy of the training data distribution characteristics and uses this copied distribution as a reference for evaluating model performance on unlabeled data. By replicating the statistical properties of labeled training data, the system can estimate performance metrics without requiring actual labeled test data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If the model is trained on in-sample data, then the model achieves good performance on training data, but the model performance degrades on out-of-sample data due to data drift or concept drift

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemodel performance consistencyVSAvoidperformance on statistically different datasets
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the model's predictions on out-of-sample data are continuously monitored and compared against expected distributions. When performance degradation is detected due to data drift or concept drift, the system can trigger retraining or adjustment, creating a closed-loop system that maintains reliability across different data distributions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamic adaptation by allowing the evaluation process to adjust to changing data distributions. The system dynamically detects shifts in data characteristics and adapts the performance evaluation accordingly, rather than relying on static training-time performance metrics

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Measurement precision

If density estimation methods are used to estimate performance on unlabeled data, then performance metrics can be obtained, but the methods become computationally complex and less robust in large datasets with many features

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveperformance metric estimation accuracyVSAvoidcomputational complexity of estimation method
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs computationally efficient techniques that sacrifice some theoretical optimality for practical feasibility. By using simpler statistical methods and leveraging the trained model's existing structure, the system obtains sufficient performance estimates without the heavy computational burden of rigorous density estimation, making the approach scalable to large datasets

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Data Source

PatentUS20230092949A1System and method for estimating model metrics without labels
Publication Date: 2023.03.23 SNOWFLAKE INC
  • US20230092949A1 patent drawing
  • US20230092949A1 patent drawing
  • US20230092949A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A computer accesses an artificial intelligence (AI) model, a labeled in-sample (IS) dataset, and an unlabeled out-of-sample (OOS) dataset, the labeled IS dataset storing IS input values and corresponding IS output values, the unlabeled OOS dataset storing OOS input values but not corresponding OOS output values. The computer modifies, via importance sampling and based on a likelihood that a given datapoint from the IS dataset is associated with the OOS dataset, weights of multiple datapoints in the labeled IS dataset to generate a weighted IS dataset. The computer calculates an estimated performance metric of the AI model on the OOS dataset using at least a subset of datapoints in the weighted IS dataset. The computer provides an output representing the estimated performance metric of the AI model on the OOS dataset.