Timezone: »

 
Poster
Representation Matters: Assessing the Importance of Subgroup Allocations in Training Data
Esther Rolf · Theodora Worledge · Benjamin Recht · Michael Jordan

Wed Jul 21 09:00 PM -- 11:00 PM (PDT) @
in Poster Session 4 »

Collecting more diverse and representative training data is often touted as a remedy for the disparate performance of machine learning predictors across subpopulations. However, a precise framework for understanding how dataset properties like diversity affect learning outcomes is largely lacking. By casting data collection as part of the learning process, we demonstrate that diverse representation in training data is key not only to increasing subgroup performances, but also to achieving population-level objectives. Our analysis and experiments describe how dataset compositions influence performance and provide constructive results for using trends in existing data, alongside domain knowledge, to help guide intentional, objective-aware dataset design

Keywords: Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency · Social Aspects of Machine Learning

Author Information

Esther Rolf (UC Berkeley)
Theodora Worledge (UC Berkeley)
Benjamin Recht (Berkeley)

Benjamin Recht is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Ben's research group studies the theory and practice of optimization algorithms with a focus on applications in machine learning, data analysis, and controls. Ben is the recipient of a Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the 2012 SIAM/MOS Lagrange Prize in Continuous Optimization, the 2014 Jamon Prize, the 2015 William O. Baker Award for Initiatives in Research, and the 2017 NIPS Test of Time Award.

Michael Jordan (UC Berkeley)

Related Events (a corresponding poster, oral, or spotlight)

More from the Same Authors