Integral Imprecise Probability Metrics
Quantifying differences between probability distributions is fundamental to statistics and machine learning, primarily for comparing statistical uncertainty. In contrast, epistemic uncertainty (EU) -- due to incomplete knowledge -- requires richer representations than those offered by classical probability. Imprecise probability (IP) theory offers such models, capturing ambiguity and partial belief. This has driven growing interest in imprecise probabilistic machine learning (IPML), where inference and decision-making rely on broader uncertainty models -- highlighting the need for metrics beyond classical probability. This work introduces the Integral Imprecise Probability Metric (IIPM) framework, a Choquet integral-based generalisation of classical Integral Probability Metric (IPM) to the setting of capacities -- a broad class of IP models encompassing many existing ones, including lower probabilities, probability intervals, belief functions, and more. Theoretically, we establish conditions under which IIPM serves as a valid metric and metrises a form of weak convergence of capacities. Practically, IIPM not only enables comparison across different IP models but also supports the quantification of epistemic uncertainty within a single IP model. In particular, by comparing an IP model with its conjugate, IIPM gives rise to a new class of EU measures -- Maximum Mean Imprecision -- which satisfy key axiomatic properties proposed in the Uncertainty Quantification literature. We validate MMI through selective classification experiments, demonstrating strong empirical performance against established EU measures, and outperforming them when classical methods struggle to scale to a large number of classes. Our work advances both theory and practice in IPML, offering a principled framework for comparing and quantifying epistemic uncertainty under imprecision.
Code (0)
등록된 구현이 없습니다.
Tasks
Uncertainty QuantificationSimilar Papers 제목 키워드 기반
Value Under Ignorance in Universal Artificial Intelligence
We generalize the AIXI reinforcement learning agent to admit a wider class of utility functions. Assigning a utility to each possible interaction history forces us to confront the ambiguity that some hypotheses in the ag…
Reinforcement LearningPredicting Disease Progress with Imprecise Lab Test Results
In existing deep learning methods, almost all loss functions assume that sample data values used to be predicted are the only correct ones. This assumption does not hold for laboratory test data. Test results are often w…
PredictionEstimating Certain Integral Probability Metric (IPM) is as Hard as Estimating under the IPM
We study the minimax optimal rates for estimating a range of Integral Probability Metrics (IPMs) between two unknown probability measures, based on $n$ independent samples from them. Curiously, we show that estimating th…
An Imprecise SHAP as a Tool for Explaining the Class Probability Distributions under Limited Training Data
One of the most popular methods of the machine learning prediction explanation is the SHapley Additive exPlanations method (SHAP). An imprecise SHAP as a modification of the original SHAP is proposed for cases when the c…
Bayesian Posterior Perturbation Analysis with Integral Probability Metrics
In recent years, Bayesian inference in large-scale inverse problems found in science, engineering and machine learning has gained significant attention. This paper examines the robustness of the Bayesian approach by anal…
Bayesian Inference