Variance reduction for estimation of Shapley effects and adaptation to unknown input distribution

Abstract: The Shapley effects are global sensitivity indices: they quantify the impact of each input variable on the output variable in a model. In this work, we suggest new estimators of these sensitivity indices. When the input distribution is known, we investigate the already existing estimator and suggest a new one with a lower variance. Then, when the distribution of the inputs is unknown, we extend these estimators. Finally, we provide asymptotic properties of the estimators studied in this article.