Related papers: Optimistic Training and Convergence of Q-Learning …
We show that learning-rate schedules for large model training behave surprisingly similar to a performance bound from non-smooth convex optimization theory. We provide a bound for the constant schedule with linear cooldown; in particular,…
The goal of this paper is to investigate new and simple convergence analysis of dynamic programming for linear quadratic regulator problem of discrete-time linear time-invariant systems. In particular, bounds on errors are given in terms of…
In a discounted reward Markov Decision Process (MDP), the objective is to find the optimal value function, i.e., the value function corresponding to an optimal policy. This problem reduces to solving a functional equation known as the…
Relative temporal-difference (TD) learning was introduced to mitigate the slow convergence of TD methods when the discount factor approaches one by subtracting a baseline from the temporal-difference update. While this idea has been studied…
In Markov decision processes (MDPs), quantile risk measures such as Value-at-Risk are a standard metric for modeling RL agents' preferences for certain outcomes. This paper proposes a new Q-learning algorithm for quantile optimization in…
Greedy-GQ with linear function approximation, originally proposed in \cite{maei2010toward}, is a value-based off-policy algorithm for optimal control in reinforcement learning, and it has a non-linear two timescale structure with the…
Establishing robust policies is essential to counter attacks or disturbances affecting deep reinforcement learning (DRL) agents. Recent studies explore state-adversarial robustness and suggest the potential lack of an optimal robust policy…
Reinforcement learning (RL) often exhibits high variance across training runs, leading to unreliable performance and posing a major challenge to deployment in real-world domains. In this work, we address the challenge of cross-run policy…
The quadratic assignment problem (QAP) is a fundamental NP-hard task that poses significant challenges for both traditional heuristics and modern learning-based solvers. Existing QAP solvers still struggle to achieve consistently…
The convergence of many reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms with linear function approximation has been investigated extensively but most proofs assume that these methods converge to a unique solution. In this paper, we provide a…
Achieving convergence of multiple learning agents in general $N$-player games is imperative for the development of safe and reliable machine learning (ML) algorithms and their application to autonomous systems. Yet it is known that, outside…
The problem of learning threshold functions is a fundamental one in machine learning. Classical learning theory implies sample complexity of $O(\xi^{-1} \log(1/\beta))$ (for generalization error $\xi$ with confidence $1-\beta$). The private…
We study reinforcement learning in infinite-horizon discounted Markov decision processes with continuous state spaces, where data are generated online from a single trajectory under a Markovian behavior policy. To avoid maintaining an…
The constrained Markov decision process (CMDP) framework emerges as an important reinforcement learning approach for imposing safety or other critical objectives while maximizing cumulative reward. However, the current understanding of how…
We design a new provably efficient algorithm for episodic reinforcement learning with generalized linear function approximation. We analyze the algorithm under a new expressivity assumption that we call "optimistic closure," which is…
Risk-averse total-reward Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) offer a promising framework for modeling and solving undiscounted infinite-horizon objectives. Existing model-based algorithms for risk measures like the entropic risk measure (ERM)…
The problem of on-line off-policy evaluation (OPE) has been actively studied in the last decade due to its importance both as a stand-alone problem and as a module in a policy improvement scheme. However, most Temporal Difference (TD) based…
In offline reinforcement learning (RL) we have no opportunity to explore so we must make assumptions that the data is sufficient to guide picking a good policy, taking the form of assuming some coverage, realizability, Bellman completeness,…
Physics-informed neural solvers offer a promising route to model-based reinforcement learning in continuous time, where optimal feedback synthesis is governed by Hamilton--Jacobi--Bellman (HJB) equations. Practical implementations often…
Recent studies claim that human behavior in a two-armed Bernoulli bandit (TABB) task is described by positivity and confirmation biases, implying that humans do not integrate new information objectively. However, we find that even if the…