Related papers: Modelling the Recommender Alignment Problem
Most recommender systems (RS) research assumes that a user's utility can be maximized independently of the utility of the other agents (e.g., other users, content providers). In realistic settings, this is often not true---the dynamics of…
An ultimate goal of recommender systems (RS) is to improve user engagement. Reinforcement learning (RL) is a promising paradigm for this goal, as it directly optimizes overall performance of sequential recommendation. However, many existing…
While recommender systems (RSs) traditionally rely on extensive individual user data, regulatory and technological shifts necessitate reliance on aggregated user information. This shift significantly impacts the recommendation process,…
There exist situations of decision-making under information overload in the Internet, where people have an overwhelming number of available options to choose from, e.g. products to buy in an e-commerce site, or restaurants to visit in a…
Much of the complexity of Recommender Systems (RSs) comes from the fact that they are used as part of more complex applications and affect user experience through a varied range of user interfaces. However, research focused almost…
Recommendation systems (RSs) are increasingly used to guide job seekers on online platforms, yet the algorithms currently deployed are typically optimized for predictive objectives such as clicks, applications, or hires, rather than job…
Social media platforms provide valuable opportunities for users to gather information, interact with friends, and enjoy entertainment. However, their addictive potential poses significant challenges, including overuse and negative…
We analyze the unintended effects that recommender systems have on the preferences of users that they are learning. We consider a contextual multi-armed bandit recommendation algorithm that learns optimal product recommendations based on…
How might we design Reinforcement Learning (RL)-based recommenders that encourage aligning user trajectories with the underlying user satisfaction? Three research questions are key: (1) measuring user satisfaction, (2) combatting sparsity…
Recommender systems are the algorithms which select, filter, and personalize content across many of the worlds largest platforms and apps. As such, their positive and negative effects on individuals and on societies have been extensively…
Recommendation systems are widespread, and through customized recommendations, promise to match users with options they will like. To that end, data on engagement is collected and used. Most recommendation systems are ranking-based, where…
Modern recommender systems lie at the heart of complex ecosystems that couple the behavior of users, content providers, advertisers, and other actors. Despite this, the focus of the majority of recommender research -- and most practical…
Recommender systems (RS), serving at the forefront of Human-centered AI, are widely deployed in almost every corner of the web and facilitate the human decision-making process. However, despite their enormous capabilities and potential, RS…
Recommender Systems (RS) play an integral role in enhancing user experiences by providing personalized item suggestions. This survey reviews the progress in RS inclusively from 2017 to 2024, effectively connecting theoretical advances with…
Recommender Systems (RS) often suffer from popularity bias, where a small set of popular items dominate the recommendation results due to their high interaction rates, leaving many less popular items overlooked. This phenomenon…
Recommender Systems (RS) currently represent a fundamental tool in online services, especially with the advent of Online Social Networks (OSN). In this case, users generate huge amounts of contents and they can be quickly overloaded by…
This paper proposes a mathematical model to study the coupled dynamics of a Recommender System (RS) algorithm and content consumers (users). The model posits that a large population of users, each with an opinion, consumes personalised…
Recommender Systems (RS) play a vital role in applications such as e-commerce and on-demand content streaming. Research on RS has mainly focused on the customer perspective, i.e., accurate prediction of user preferences and maximization of…
In this paper, we introduce new formal methods and provide empirical evidence to highlight a unique safety concern prevalent in reinforcement learning (RL)-based recommendation algorithms -- 'user tampering.' User tampering is a situation…
Recommender systems (RSs) have become an inseparable part of our everyday lives. They help us find our favorite items to purchase, our friends on social networks, and our favorite movies to watch. Traditionally, the recommendation problem…