Langevin algorithms for very deep Neural Networks with applications to image classification

Abstract

Training a very deep neural network is a challenging task, as the deeper a neural network is, the more non-linear it is. We compare the performances of various preconditioned Langevin algorithms with their non-Langevin counterparts for the training of neural networks of increasing depth. For shallow neural networks, Langevin algorithms do not lead to any improvement, however the deeper the network is and the greater are the gains provided by Langevin algorithms. Adding noise to the gradient descent allows to escape from local traps, which are more frequent for very deep neural networks. Since the deepest layers of a network are the most non-linear ones, we introduce a new Langevin algorithm called Layer Langevin, which consists in adding Langevin noise only to the weights associated to the deepest layers. We then prove the benefits of Langevin and Layer Langevin algorithms for the training of popular deep residual architectures for image classification.

Pierre Bras

PhD Student in Applied Mathematics

I am a PhD student under the direction of Gilles Pagès, interested in Machine Learning, Stochastic Optimization and Numerical Probability.