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Aligning AI systems with human values remains a fundamental challenge, but does our inability to create perfectly aligned models preclude obtaining the benefits of alignment? We study a strategic setting where a human user interacts with…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-02-04 Natalie Collina , Surbhi Goel , Aaron Roth , Emily Ryu , Mirah Shi

We study a repeated trading problem in which a mechanism designer facilitates trade between a single seller and multiple buyers. Our model generalizes the classic bilateral trade setting to a multi-buyer environment. Specifically, the…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2025-03-04 Anna Lunghi , Matteo Castiglioni , Alberto Marchesi

We study the aggregate welfare and individual regret guarantees of dynamic \emph{pacing algorithms} in the context of repeated auctions with budgets. Such algorithms are commonly used as bidding agents in Internet advertising platforms,…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2026-01-06 Jason Gaitonde , Yingkai Li , Bar Light , Brendan Lucier , Aleksandrs Slivkins

In this paper, we study the problem of learning to bid in repeated first-price auctions with budget constraints. In each period, the decision maker needs to submit a bid to win the auction and maximize the total collected reward, subject to…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2026-03-10 Zeng Fu , Jiashuo Jiang , Yuan Zhou

In multi-agent problems requiring a high degree of cooperation, success often depends on the ability of the agents to adapt to each other's behavior. A natural solution concept in such settings is the Stackelberg equilibrium, in which the…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-06-14 Robert Loftin , Mustafa Mert Çelikok , Herke van Hoof , Samuel Kaski , Frans A. Oliehoek

In online advertising markets, budget-constrained advertisers acquire ad placements through repeated bidding in auctions on various platforms. We present a strategy for bidding optimally in a set of auctions that may or may not be…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2023-06-14 Fransisca Susan , Negin Golrezaei , Okke Schrijvers

We study the problem of learning to bid when the bidder's value is dynamic, i.e., when the current value depends on past outcomes. Specifically, we consider a bidder participating in repeated second-price auctions whose value depends on the…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-05-28 Benjamin Heymann , Otmane Sakhi

We study revenue optimization learning algorithms for repeated second-price auctions with reserve where a seller interacts with multiple strategic bidders each of which holds a fixed private valuation for a good and seeks to maximize his…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2019-06-25 Alexey Drutsa

Learning algorithms are often used to make decisions in sequential decision-making environments. In multi-agent settings, the decisions of each agent can affect the utilities/losses of the other agents. Therefore, if an agent is good at…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2024-07-09 Angelos Assos , Yuval Dagan , Constantinos Daskalakis

We introduce a new numerical framework to learn optimal bidding strategies in repeated auctions when the seller uses past bids to optimize her mechanism. Crucially, we do not assume that the bidders know what optimization mechanism is used…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2021-02-09 Thomas Nedelec , Jules Baudet , Vianney Perchet , Noureddine El Karoui

We consider a model of Bayesian observational learning in which a sequence of agents receives a private signal about an underlying binary state of the world. Each agent makes a decision based on its own signal and its observations of…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2025-04-29 Shuo Wu , Pawan Poojary , Randall Berry

Recent results in the ML community have revealed that learning algorithms used to compute the optimal strategy for the leader to commit to in a Stackelberg game, are susceptible to manipulation by the follower. Such a learning algorithm…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2022-09-12 Georgios Birmpas , Jiarui Gan , Alexandros Hollender , Francisco J. Marmolejo-Cossío , Ninad Rajgopal , Alexandros A. Voudouris

In increasingly different contexts, it happens that a human player has to interact with artificial players who make decisions following decision-making algorithms. How should the human player play against these algorithms to maximize his…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2022-02-22 Maurizio D 'Andrea

Internet advertisers (buyers) repeatedly procure ad impressions from ad platforms (sellers) with the aim to maximize total conversion (i.e. ad value) while respecting both budget and return-on-investment (ROI) constraints for efficient…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2023-02-08 Negin Golrezaei , Patrick Jaillet , Jason Cheuk Nam Liang , Vahab Mirrokni

We study the bidding problem in repeated uniform price multi-unit auctions from the perspective of a value-maximizing buyer. The buyer aims to maximize their cumulative value over $T$ rounds while adhering to per-round return-on-investment…

Data Structures and Algorithms · Computer Science 2025-10-07 Negin Golrezaei , Sourav Sahoo

We consider repeated multi-unit auctions with uniform pricing, which are widely used in practice for allocating goods such as carbon licenses. In each round, $K$ identical units of a good are sold to a group of buyers that have valuations…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2024-01-17 Simina Brânzei , Mahsa Derakhshan , Negin Golrezaei , Yanjun Han

This paper explores the integration of strategic optimization methods in search advertising, focusing on ad ranking and bidding mechanisms within E-commerce platforms. By employing a combination of reinforcement learning and evolutionary…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-05-30 Chang Zhou , Yang Zhao , Jin Cao , Yi Shen , Xiaoling Cui , Chiyu Cheng

Classical optimal auction theory assumes that bids reach the seller directly. We study how this picture changes when a revenue-maximizing intermediary controls access to the seller's auction. Motivated by blockchain auctions, online…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2026-05-22 Jingyi Liu , Aviad Rubinstein , Ertem Nusret Tas , S. Matthew Weinberg , Qianfan Zhang

Motivated by the question of how a principal can maximize its utility in repeated interactions with a learning agent, we study repeated games between an principal and an agent employing a mean-based learning algorithm. Prior work has shown…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2025-10-28 Nivasini Ananthakrishnan , Yuval Dagan , Kunhe Yang

We consider long-lived agents who interact repeatedly in a social network. In each period, each agent learns about an unknown state by observing a private signal and her neighbors' actions from the previous period before choosing her own…

Theoretical Economics · Economics 2025-08-19 Florian Brandl