English

Risk-Averse Certification of Bayesian Neural Networks

Machine Learning 2024-12-02 v1

Abstract

In light of the inherently complex and dynamic nature of real-world environments, incorporating risk measures is crucial for the robustness evaluation of deep learning models. In this work, we propose a Risk-Averse Certification framework for Bayesian neural networks called RAC-BNN. Our method leverages sampling and optimisation to compute a sound approximation of the output set of a BNN, represented using a set of template polytopes. To enhance robustness evaluation, we integrate a coherent distortion risk measure--Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR)--into the certification framework, providing probabilistic guarantees based on empirical distributions obtained through sampling. We validate RAC-BNN on a range of regression and classification benchmarks and compare its performance with a state-of-the-art method. The results show that RAC-BNN effectively quantifies robustness under worst-performing risky scenarios, and achieves tighter certified bounds and higher efficiency in complex tasks.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2411.19729,
  title  = {Risk-Averse Certification of Bayesian Neural Networks},
  author = {Xiyue Zhang and Zifan Wang and Yulong Gao and Licio Romao and Alessandro Abate and Marta Kwiatkowska},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.19729},
  year   = {2024}
}