Neural Networks Use Distance Metrics

Alan Oursland

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arXiv · 2411.17932

Neural Networks Use Distance Metrics

Alan Oursland

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Abstract

We present empirical evidence that neural networks with ReLU and Absolute Value activations learn distance-based representations. We independently manipulate both distance and intensity properties of internal activations in trained models, finding that both architectures are highly sensitive to small distance-based perturbations while maintaining robust performance under large intensity-based perturbations. These findings challenge the prevailing intensity-based interpretation of neural network activations and offer new insights into their learning and decision-making processes.

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Alan Oursland. 2024-11-26. Neural Networks Use Distance Metrics. https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.17932

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