ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Delta Variances: Efficient Epistemic Uncertainty for Neural Networks

other · 2026-05-01

A new family of algorithms called Delta Variances enables efficient epistemic uncertainty quantification for large neural networks. The approach requires only a single gradient computation, no architectural changes, and can be applied to general functions composed of neural networks, including weather simulators with neural-network-based step functions. Empirical results show competitive performance. The paper discusses multiple theoretical derivations, unifying popular techniques under a common framework.

Key facts

  • Delta Variances is a family of algorithms for epistemic uncertainty quantification.
  • It is computationally efficient and convenient to implement.
  • Requires no changes to neural network architecture or training procedure.
  • Can be applied to neural networks and more general functions composed of neural networks.
  • Example application: weather simulator with neural-network-based step function.
  • Empirically obtains competitive results at the cost of a single gradient computation.
  • Paper discusses multiple theoretical derivations.
  • Special cases recover popular techniques.

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