提出噪声稳定性度量,提升Transformer模型的简洁性与训练效率
Noise Stability of Transformer Models
- 用同时施加相关噪声评估模型鲁棒性,突破传统敏感度局限
- 实验显示该方法使训练加速75%,算法任务中促进突现学习
- 适合关注模型可解释性与训练优化的研究者
理解深度学习中的简单性偏差为构建可靠AI提供了新路径。现有常用指标平均敏感度源于布尔函数分析,衡量模型对单个词元扰动的鲁棒性,但存在两个关键缺陷:无法自然推广到实值输入域,且难以解释现代大语言模型中观察到的“类似朱诺”输入依赖现象。为此,我们提出噪声稳定性作为更全面的简洁性度量,反映模型对所有输入坐标同时施加相关噪声时的鲁棒性。我们对单层注意力和ReLU MLP层进行了理论分析,并通过协方差区间传播方法解决多层传播问题。基于此理论,我们设计了一种实用的噪声稳定性正则化方法。在算法任务和下一个词元预测任务上的实验表明,该正则化器分别使训练速度提升约35%和75%,并持续催化突现学习。结果揭示了神经网络信号传播与可解释性之间的新联系,使噪声稳定性成为理解并改进现代Transformer的强大工具。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Understanding simplicity biases in deep learning offers a promising path toward developing reliable AI. A common metric for this, inspired by Boolean function analysis, is average sensitivity, which captures a model's robustness to single-token perturbations. We argue that average sensitivity has two key limitations: it lacks a natural generalization to real-valued domains and fails to explain the "junta-like" input dependence we empirically observe in modern LLMs. To address these limitations, we propose noise stability as a more comprehensive simplicity metric. Noise stability expresses a model's robustness to correlated noise applied to all input coordinates simultaneously. We provide a theoretical analysis of noise stability for single-layer attention and ReLU MLP layers and tackle the multi-layer propagation problem with a covariance interval propagation approach. Building on this theory, we develop a practical noise stability regularization method. Experiments on algorithmic and next-token-prediction tasks show that our regularizer consistently catalyzes grokking and accelerates training by approximately $35\%$ and $75\%$ respectively. Our results sculpt a new connection between signal propagation in neural networks and interpretability, with noise stability emerging as a powerful tool for understanding and improving modern Transformers.
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