# Gaussian Process Assisted Meta-learning for Image Classification and Object Detection Models

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.20021 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.20021/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 9 of its 52 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Dec 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [PyTorch: An Imperative Style, High-Performance Deep Learning Library](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.01703/) (2019)
- [You Only Look Once: Unified, Real-Time Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.02640/) (2015)
- [Meta-Learning in Neural Networks: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.05439/) (2020)
- [Deep Batch Active Learning by Diverse, Uncertain Gradient Lower Bounds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.03671/) (2019)
- [A Survey of Deep Active Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.00236/) (2020)
- [Learning Active Learning from Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.03365/) (2017)
- [Learning how to Active Learn: A Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.02383/) (2017)
- [RarePlanes: Synthetic Data Takes Flight](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.02963/) (2020)
- [Bayesian optimization under mixed constraints with a slack-variable augmented Lagrangian](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1605.09466/) (2016)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Collecting operationally realistic data to inform machine learning models can be costly. Before collecting new data, it is helpful to understand where a model is deficient. For example, object detectors trained on images of rare objects may not be good at identification in poorly represented conditions. We offer a way of informing subsequent data acquisition to maximize model performance by leveraging the toolkit of computer experiments and metadata describing the circumstances under which the training data was collected (e.g., season, time of day, location). We do this by evaluating the learner as the training data is varied according to its metadata. A Gaussian process (GP) surrogate fit to that response surface can inform new data acquisitions. This meta-learning approach offers improvements to learner performance as compared to data with randomly selected metadata, which we illustrate on both classic learning examples, and on a motivating application involving the collection of aerial images in search of airplanes.