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Bayesian Low-Rank Adaptation by Backpropagation for Improving Uncertainty Estimation in Large Language Models


核心概念
Bayesian Low-Rank Adaptation by Backpropagation (BLoB) jointly estimates the mean and covariance of the variational distribution of large language model parameters during fine-tuning, improving generalization and uncertainty estimation.
要約

The content discusses a method called Bayesian Low-Rank Adaptation by Backpropagation (BLoB) for fine-tuning large language models (LLMs) with improved uncertainty estimation.

Key highlights:

  • LLMs often suffer from overconfidence during inference, particularly when adapted to downstream tasks with limited data.
  • Previous work on Bayesian estimation of LLMs is limited by the parameters learned during training.
  • BLoB goes beyond post-training Bayesianization and continuously adjusts both the mean and covariance of LLM parameters throughout the fine-tuning process.
  • BLoB assumes a low-rank structure for the full-weight variational distribution, allowing efficient optimization in the low-rank space.
  • BLoB employs a parameterization method and Flipout technique to enable fast convergence of the variational distribution.
  • Extensive experiments demonstrate the superiority of BLoB in terms of generalization and uncertainty estimation on both in-distribution and out-of-distribution datasets.
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統計
The pre-trained LLM used is Llama2-7B. The datasets used for evaluation include common-sense reasoning tasks like Winogrande, ARC, OpenBookQA, and BoolQ. For out-of-distribution evaluation, the ARC and MMLU (chemistry and physics) datasets are used.
引用
"Large Language Models (LLMs) often suffer from overconfidence during inference, particularly when adapted to downstream domain-specific tasks with limited data." "Bayesian methods emerge as a natural solution for learning uncertainty estimation abilities among their counterparts." "We propose a principled Bayesianization framework for Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) in Large Language Models (LLMs) by assuming that full weights' approximate posterior distribution has a low-rank structure containing a linear combination of independent Gaussian distributions."

抽出されたキーインサイト

by Yibin Wang, ... 場所 arxiv.org 10-01-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2406.11675.pdf
BLoB: Bayesian Low-Rank Adaptation by Backpropagation for Large Language Models

深掘り質問

How can the proposed BLoB framework be extended to handle more complex posterior distributions beyond the Gaussian assumption?

The BLoB framework, while effective in its current form by assuming Gaussian distributions for the variational parameters, can be extended to accommodate more complex posterior distributions through several strategies. One approach is to utilize mixture models, where the posterior is represented as a combination of multiple Gaussian distributions. This can capture multimodal distributions that may arise in complex tasks or datasets. By employing techniques such as Variational Mixture of Gaussians (VMG), the framework can learn the parameters of each Gaussian component, allowing for a richer representation of uncertainty. Another avenue for extension is the use of normalizing flows, which transform a simple base distribution (like a Gaussian) into a more complex distribution through a series of invertible transformations. This method can effectively model intricate posterior shapes while maintaining tractable inference and sampling. Additionally, leveraging non-parametric Bayesian methods, such as Gaussian Processes, could provide flexibility in modeling the posterior without a fixed parametric form, allowing the model to adapt to the data more dynamically. Lastly, incorporating deep generative models, such as Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), could enable the BLoB framework to learn complex latent representations that capture the underlying data distribution more effectively. By integrating these advanced techniques, BLoB can enhance its capability to model complex posterior distributions, thereby improving its performance in diverse applications.

What are the potential limitations of the low-rank structure assumption, and how can it be relaxed or generalized in future work?

The low-rank structure assumption in the BLoB framework presents several potential limitations. One significant concern is that it may oversimplify the underlying weight updates, particularly in scenarios where the true weight updates exhibit high dimensionality and complexity. This simplification could lead to suboptimal performance, especially in tasks requiring nuanced representations or when the model encounters data distributions that deviate significantly from the training distribution. To address these limitations, future work could explore relaxing the low-rank assumption by allowing for a more flexible rank structure that adapts based on the complexity of the task or dataset. For instance, employing a dynamic rank selection mechanism could enable the model to adjust the rank of the weight updates during training, thereby capturing more intricate patterns when necessary. Additionally, generalizing the low-rank assumption to incorporate structured sparsity or hierarchical representations could enhance the model's expressiveness. Techniques such as tensor decomposition or hierarchical Bayesian models could be integrated into the BLoB framework, allowing for a richer representation of the weight updates while still maintaining computational efficiency. Furthermore, exploring alternative parameter-efficient fine-tuning methods that do not rely solely on low-rank approximations could provide insights into more robust adaptations of large language models, ensuring that the framework remains versatile across various applications and datasets.

Given the success of BLoB in improving uncertainty estimation, how can these insights be applied to enhance the reliability and safety of large language models in real-world applications?

The insights gained from the BLoB framework's success in improving uncertainty estimation can significantly enhance the reliability and safety of large language models (LLMs) in real-world applications. One primary application is in the domain of human-computer interaction, where accurately estimating the confidence of model predictions can inform users about the reliability of the information provided. By integrating BLoB's uncertainty quantification into LLMs, developers can implement mechanisms that alert users when the model is uncertain, allowing for more informed decision-making. Moreover, in high-stakes environments such as healthcare, finance, or autonomous systems, the ability to quantify uncertainty can guide the deployment of LLMs. For instance, in medical diagnosis, a model that indicates low confidence in its predictions can prompt further review by a human expert, thereby reducing the risk of erroneous conclusions that could lead to harmful outcomes. Additionally, BLoB's framework can be utilized to enhance model robustness against adversarial attacks. By understanding the uncertainty associated with predictions, LLMs can be designed to reject inputs that fall outside the distribution of the training data or exhibit high uncertainty, thereby mitigating the risk of exploitation by malicious actors. Furthermore, the principles of Bayesian modeling and uncertainty estimation can be applied to improve model interpretability. By providing users with insights into the model's confidence levels and the factors influencing its predictions, stakeholders can better understand the decision-making process of LLMs, fostering trust and transparency. In summary, the BLoB framework's advancements in uncertainty estimation can be leveraged to enhance the reliability, safety, and interpretability of large language models, ensuring their responsible deployment in various real-world applications.
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