Structural Kernel Search via Bayesian Optimization and Symbolical Optimal Transport

Neural Information Processing Systems 

Despite recent advances in automated machine learning, model selection is still a complex and computationally intensive process. For Gaussian processes (GPs), selecting the kernel is a crucial task, often done manually by the expert. Additionally, evaluating the model selection criteria for Gaussian processes typically scales cubically in the sample size, rendering kernel search particularly computationally expensive. We propose a novel, efficient search method through a general, structured kernel space. Previous methods solved this task via Bayesian optimization and relied on measuring the distance between GP's directly in function space to construct a kernel-kernel.