Likelihood-Preserving Embeddings for Statistical Inference

Published:Dec 27, 2025 16:21
1 min read
ArXiv

Analysis

This paper addresses a critical limitation of modern machine learning embeddings: their incompatibility with classical likelihood-based statistical inference. It proposes a novel framework for creating embeddings that preserve the geometric structure necessary for hypothesis testing, confidence interval construction, and model selection. The introduction of the Likelihood-Ratio Distortion metric and the Hinge Theorem are significant theoretical contributions, providing a rigorous foundation for likelihood-preserving embeddings. The paper's focus on model-class-specific guarantees and the use of neural networks as approximate sufficient statistics highlights a practical approach to achieving these goals. The experimental validation and application to distributed clinical inference demonstrate the potential impact of this research.

Reference

The Hinge Theorem establishes that controlling the Likelihood-Ratio Distortion metric is necessary and sufficient for preserving inference.