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In model-based solution approaches to the problem of learning in an unknown environment, exploring to learn the model parameters takes a toll on the regret. The optimal performance with respect to regret or PAC bounds is achievable, if the…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2015-10-13 P. Prasanna , Sarath Chandar , Balaraman Ravindran

Thompson sampling (TS) is a simple, effective stochastic policy in Bayesian decision making. It samples the posterior belief about the reward profile and optimizes the sample to obtain a candidate decision. In continuous optimization, the…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-10-11 Taiwo A. Adebiyi , Bach Do , Ruda Zhang

Thompson Sampling (TS) and its variants are powerful Multi-Armed Bandit algorithms used to balance exploration and exploitation strategies in active learning. Yet, their probabilistic nature often turns them into a "black box", hindering…

Human-Computer Interaction · Computer Science 2025-08-22 Parsa Vares , Éloi Durant , Jun Pang , Nicolas Médoc , Mohammad Ghoniem

This paper considers the use of a simple posterior sampling algorithm to balance between exploration and exploitation when learning to optimize actions such as in multi-armed bandit problems. The algorithm, also known as Thompson Sampling,…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2014-02-04 Daniel Russo , Benjamin Van Roy

In stochastic bandit problems, a Bayesian policy called Thompson sampling (TS) has recently attracted much attention for its excellent empirical performance. However, the theoretical analysis of this policy is difficult and its asymptotic…

Statistics Theory · Mathematics 2013-11-11 Junya Honda , Akimichi Takemura

We investigate finite stochastic partial monitoring, which is a general model for sequential learning with limited feedback. While Thompson sampling is one of the most promising algorithms on a variety of online decision-making problems,…

Machine Learning · Statistics 2021-06-11 Taira Tsuchiya , Junya Honda , Masashi Sugiyama

This paper develops a viable notion of learning for sampling-based algorithms that applies in broader settings than previously considered. More specifically, we model a discounted infinite-horizon MDPs with Borel state and action spaces,…

Machine Learning · Statistics 2026-04-09 Daniel Adelman , Cagla Keceli , Alba V. Olivares-Nadal

Bayesian optimization through Gaussian process regression is an effective method of optimizing an unknown function for which every measurement is expensive. It approximates the objective function and then recommends a new measurement point…

Machine Learning · Statistics 2017-05-17 Hildo Bijl , Thomas B. Schön , Jan-Willem van Wingerden , Michel Verhaegen

This work tackles the complexities of multi-player scenarios in \emph{unknown games}, where the primary challenge lies in navigating the uncertainty of the environment through bandit feedback alongside strategic decision-making. We…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-02-27 Yingru Li , Liangqi Liu , Wenqiang Pu , Hao Liang , Zhi-Quan Luo

We study Thompson sampling (TS) in online decision making, where the uncertain environment is sampled from a mixture distribution. This is relevant in multi-task learning, where a learning agent faces different classes of problems. We…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2022-03-08 Joey Hong , Branislav Kveton , Manzil Zaheer , Mohammad Ghavamzadeh , Craig Boutilier

We consider optimal control of an unknown multi-agent linear quadratic (LQ) system where the dynamics and the cost are coupled across the agents through the mean-field (i.e., empirical mean) of the states and controls. Directly using…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2020-11-11 Mukul Gagrani , Sagar Sudhakara , Aditya Mahajan , Ashutosh Nayyar , Yi Ouyang

Pursuit-evasion is a multi-agent sequential decision problem wherein a group of agents known as pursuers coordinate their traversal of a spatial domain to locate an agent trying to evade them. Pursuit evasion problems arise in a number of…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2018-11-13 Zhen Li , Nicholas J. Meyer , Eric B. Laber , Robert Brigantic

Recently, it has been shown how sampling actions from the predictive distribution over the optimal action-sometimes called Thompson sampling-can be applied to solve sequential adaptive control problems, when the optimal policy is known for…

Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science 2014-09-24 Pedro A. Ortega , Daniel A. Braun

Thompson Sampling provides an efficient technique to introduce prior knowledge in the multi-armed bandit problem, along with providing remarkable empirical performance. In this paper, we revisit the Thompson Sampling algorithm under rewards…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2019-12-09 Abhimanyu Dubey , Alex Pentland

We introduce a sampling-based learning method for solving optimal control problems involving task satisfaction constraints for systems with partially known dynamics. The control problems are defined by a cost to be minimized and a task to…

Systems and Control · Electrical Eng. & Systems 2020-04-14 Peter Varnai , Dimos V. Dimarogonas

Cold-start exploration is a core challenge in large-scale recommender systems: new or data-sparse items must receive traffic to estimate value, but over-exploration harms users and wastes impressions. In practice, Thompson Sampling (TS) is…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-02-03 Zhenyu Zhao , David Zhang , Ellie Zhao , Ehsan Saberian

We present a novel extension of Thompson Sampling for stochastic sequential decision problems with graph feedback, even when the graph structure itself is unknown and/or changing. We provide theoretical guarantees on the Bayesian regret of…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2017-01-17 Aristide C. Y. Tossou , Christos Dimitrakakis , Devdatt Dubhashi

Robust control design for quantum systems has been recognized as a key task in the development of practical quantum technology. In this paper, we present a systematic numerical methodology of sampling-based learning control (SLC) for…

Systems and Control · Computer Science 2016-11-17 Daoyi Dong , Chunlin Chen , Ruixing Long , Bo Qi , Ian R. Petersen

Thompson Sampling is one of the most widely used and studied bandit algorithms, known for its simple structure, low regret performance, and solid theoretical guarantees. Yet, in stark contrast to most other families of bandit algorithms,…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-05-28 Yanlin Qu , Hongseok Namkoong , Assaf Zeevi

Existing methods of combinatorial pure exploration mainly focus on the UCB approach. To make the algorithm efficient, they usually use the sum of upper confidence bounds within arm set $S$ to represent the upper confidence bound of $S$,…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2022-06-22 Siwei Wang , Jun Zhu