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Noise or Signal: The Role of Image Backgrounds in Object Recognition (2006.09994v1)

Published 17 Jun 2020 in cs.CV and cs.LG

Abstract: We assess the tendency of state-of-the-art object recognition models to depend on signals from image backgrounds. We create a toolkit for disentangling foreground and background signal on ImageNet images, and find that (a) models can achieve non-trivial accuracy by relying on the background alone, (b) models often misclassify images even in the presence of correctly classified foregrounds--up to 87.5% of the time with adversarially chosen backgrounds, and (c) more accurate models tend to depend on backgrounds less. Our analysis of backgrounds brings us closer to understanding which correlations machine learning models use, and how they determine models' out of distribution performance.

Citations (345)

Summary

  • The paper demonstrates that object recognition models can achieve significant accuracy using background information alone, with adversarial misclassification rates reaching up to 87.5%.
  • The paper employs the ImageNet-9 toolkit to isolate and analyze how separate foreground and background signals affect classification performance.
  • The paper finds that training on background-neutral datasets like Mixed-Rand improves model robustness by reducing reliance on misleading background cues.

Overview of "Noise or Signal: The Role of Image Backgrounds in Object Recognition"

The paper "Noise or Signal: The Role of Image Backgrounds in Object Recognition" investigates the extent to which modern object recognition models rely on image backgrounds for classification tasks. To dissect this reliance, the authors created a comprehensive toolkit for analyzing foreground and background signals separately using ImageNet images. This paper provides several insightful findings on model behavior regarding backgrounds and foregrounds, thereby advancing understanding of models' robustness and generalization capabilities.

State-of-the-art object recognition models, although primarily designed to focus on the pertinent features within the image foregrounds, can levitate non-trivial accuracy solely based on the background. This reliance on background extends to models misclassifying the entire image due to adversarially chosen backgrounds, with such misclassification rates reaching as high as 87.5%. The paper further examines the fervor of this reliance across models of varying accuracy, noting that more accurate models tend to score better by depending less on background information.

Key Methodology

Central to this work is the creation of ImageNet-9, a synthetic dataset derived from ImageNet, categorized into nine broad classes, and various sub-variations designed to dissect the role of background versus foreground signals in classification tasks. These variations include sets where backgrounds are preserved or substituted with synthetically generated alternatives, foregrounds isolated from any background signal, or adversarial alterations designed to illuminate the models' reliance on non-target features.

Significant Findings

  1. Utilization of Backgrounds: The experiments substantiate that robust classification can often be achieved using background information alone. Models showed significant classification success on a dataset curated to retain backgrounds while obscuring foregrounds.
  2. Adversarial Vulnerability: Models are vulnerable to adversarial backgrounds, as evidenced by high attack success rates, which indicate a propensity for models to inadvertently treat backgrounds as misleading features that align incorrectly with the image's label.
  3. Importance of Foreground Training: Models trained on a background-neutral dataset (Mixed-Rand) demonstrated higher resilience to background perturbations, suggesting benefits in training regimens that minimize the reliance on background signals.
  4. Model Progress & Background Features: Advances in image classification accuracy often coincide with better exploitation of background features, yet these models advance simultaneously in ignoring misleading background signals.

Implications and Future Directions

The insights gleaned from this work have broad implications for the development of more robust object recognition systems, especially in terms of mitigating reliance on non-generalizable background cues that could degrade model performance when faced with out-of-distribution challenges.

With the demonstrated success of Mixed-Rand training in reducing model dependence on backgrounds, tailored training methodologies combining data-augmentation techniques and adversarial training might further bolster robustness. Moreover, extending these methodologies to larger, more diverse datasets could reveal deeper insights in image recognition tasks—beyond the scope of ImageNet-9.

In conclusion, as object recognition models evolve, understanding the interplay of background and foreground processing holds crucial value for enhancing their robustness, generalization, and reliability in practical, ever-diverse scenarios. This paper paves the way for more conscious incorporation of background neutrality in model design and training regimes—a critical endeavor for the seamless and reliable application of machine learning in real-world tasks.