# Improving Classifier Confidence using Lossy Label-Invariant Transformations

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.04182 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.04182/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 9 Nov 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Parameterized Temperature Scaling for Boosting the Expressive Power in Post-Hoc Uncertainty Calibration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.12182/) (2021)
- [Exploring Covariate and Concept Shift for Detection and Calibration of Out-of-Distribution Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.15231/) (2021)
- [Confidence Calibration with Bounded Error Using Transformations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.12680/) (2021)
- [Quantifying and Improving Adaptivity in Conformal Prediction through Input Transformations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.11472/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Providing reliable model uncertainty estimates is imperative to enabling robust decision making by autonomous agents and humans alike. While recently there have been significant advances in confidence calibration for trained models, examples with poor calibration persist in most calibrated models. Consequently, multiple techniques have been proposed that leverage label-invariant transformations of the input (i.e., an input manifold) to improve worst-case confidence calibration. However, manifold-based confidence calibration techniques generally do not scale and/or require expensive retraining when applied to models with large input spaces (e.g., ImageNet). In this paper, we present the recursive lossy label-invariant calibration (ReCal) technique that leverages label-invariant transformations of the input that induce a loss of discriminatory information to recursively group (and calibrate) inputs - without requiring model retraining. We show that ReCal outperforms other calibration methods on multiple datasets, especially, on large-scale datasets such as ImageNet.