Standard deep learning models generalize via interpolation, relying on an implicit bias toward smooth functions to fit training data. While effective in-distribution, this approach often fails out-of-distribution (OOD) because it fails to capture the underlying generative structure of the data. To achieve robust extrapolation, a model cannot merely approximate the training manifold; it must identify the global algebraic laws—formally defined as symmetry groups—that govern the data. Recovering these rigorous, full-rank structures requires a fundamental shift from simple interpolation to automated symmetry discovery.
In this talk, I will present a theoretical framework for the HyperCube model, which formulates this discovery as a differentiable tensor factorization problem. We analyze the model’s optimization landscape and prove a unique inductive bias: in contrast to the typical implicit low-rank bias of deep learning, the HyperCube objective exerts a variational pressure toward unitary, full-rank representations. We show how this mechanism rigidly enforces discrete group axioms through continuous optimization, effectively recovering the exact algebraic structure hidden within the data.