We propose a hybrid approach aimed at improving the sample efficiency in goal-directed reinforcement learning. We do this via a two-step mechanism where firstly, we approximate a model from Model-Free reinforcement learning. Then, we leverage this approximate model along with a notion of reachability using Mean First P…
Develops a method to plan exploration that learns strong policies with fewer samples.
problem Lack of efficient exploration in reinforcement learning for real-world tasks.
method Plans an action sequence that maximizes information gain about the optimal trajectory.
result 2x fewer samples than exploration baselines and 200x fewer than model-free methods.
Improved DDPMs achieve high log-likelihoods and sample quality with fewer passes.
problem Improving log-likelihoods of DDPMs while maintaining high sample quality.
method Modifying DDPMs with learning variances and using precision-recall metrics.
result DDPMs can achieve competitive log-likelihoods with fewer forward passes.
GGAN improves audio representation learning with fewer labels.
problem Learning representations for specific tasks from unlabelled data.
method Guided Generative Adversarial Neural Network (GGAN).
result GGAN learns better representations with fewer labelled data.
Efficient exploration improves large language model performance with fewer queries.
problem Improving large language model performance with fewer human feedback queries.
method Sequentially generates queries, fits a reward model to feedback, uses double Thompson sampling with epistemic neural network uncertainty.
result Efficient exploration enables high performance with far fewer queries.
Model-based reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms can attain excellent sample efficiency, but often lag behind the best model-free algorithms in terms of asymptotic performance. This is especially true with high-capacity parametric function approximators, such as deep networks. In this paper, we study how to bridge th…
BayesSum improves Bayesian quadrature for discrete domains, requiring fewer samples.
problem Estimating intractable expectations over discrete domains.
method BayesSum is a Bayesian quadrature extension for discrete domains, leveraging prior information through Gaussian processes.
result BayesSum requires fewer samples than Monte Carlo, achieving faster convergence rates.
ACE improves counterfactual explanations with fewer model queries.
problem Inefficient sampling for counterfactual explanations in machine learning models.
method Adaptive sampling combining Bayesian estimation and stochastic optimization.
result ACE achieves superior evaluation efficiency compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Estimates MLP expected output without sampling, using fewer FLOPs.
problem Estimating expected loss in machine learning efficiently.
method Approximate representations of activations using cumulants and Hermite expansions.
result Estimates expected output with fewer FLOPs than Monte Carlo sampling.
WeakNAS uses a set of weaker predictors to find top architectures with fewer samples.
problem Finding the best neural architecture with heavy computation costs.
method Proposes a paradigm shift from fitting the whole architecture space to progressively fitting a search path through a set of weaker predictors.
result WeakNAS produces coarse-to-fine iteration to gradually refine the ranking of sampling space, requiring fewer samples to find top-performance architectures.
S2cGAN uses fewer labels to train cGANs effectively.
problem Training conditional GANs requires expensive labelled data.
method Semi-supervised training with sparse labels and unsupervised data.
result S2cGAN learns conditional mapping with sparse labels and unconditional distribution with unsupervised data.
Study shows DNNs can recover functions with fewer samples than model parameters at overparameterization.
problem Determining reliable function recovery in overparameterized deep neural networks.
method Introducing 'local linear recovery' (LLR) and proving upper bounds on sample sizes for recovery.
result Upper bounds on optimistic sample sizes for function recovery in overparameterized DNNs are achieved.
EWFM trains continuous flows with only energy evaluations, improving sample quality with fewer computations.
problem Efficiently sampling from complex, high-dimensional Boltzmann distributions using only energy evaluations.
method Energy-Weighted Flow Matching (EWFM) using importance sampling and iterative/annealed training.
result Improved sample quality with up to 3 orders of magnitude fewer energy evaluations compared to existing methods.
In the world of big data, large but costly to label datasets dominate many fields. Active learning, a semi-supervised alternative to the standard PAC-learning model, was introduced to explore whether adaptive labeling could learn concepts with exponentially fewer labeled samples. While previous results show that active…
CTE improves explanation estimation with less data and faster computation.
problem Inefficient and inaccurate explanation estimation in machine learning models.
method Distribution compression through kernel thinning to reduce sample size.
result CTE significantly improves accuracy and stability of explanation estimation.
LSD distills high-quality samplers for DDMs with fewer steps.
problem Inefficient sampling in DDMs leads to low quality and high computational cost.
method LSD employs a distillation approach to train fast samplers with learnable coefficients and time schedules.
result LSD+ achieves higher sampling quality with fewer steps compared to existing samplers.
Hadamard Wirtinger Flow recovers sparse signals from fewer measurements.
problem Reconstructing sparse signals from magnitude-only measurements.
method Gradient descent with Hadamard parametrization (HWF).
result A single step of HWF recovers support from k(xmax∗)−2 samples. Extends Thompson sampling for RL with fewer episodes.
problem Limited episodes in RL settings.
method Batch Bayesian optimization over episodes to learn action bias terms.
result Significantly outperforms standard Thompson sampling.
Estimates mode of discrete distributions with fewer samples.
problem Identifying the mode of a discrete distribution with high probability.
method Generalizes PPR martingale confidence sequences to handle multiple modes.
result PPR-1v1 stopping rule is asymptotically optimal and significantly more efficient.
Neural networks fit fewer samples than their parameters suggest in practice.
problem Understanding the practical limitations of neural network flexibility.
method Examination of neural network optimization, parameter efficiency, and loss surfaces.
result Neural networks can only fit training sets with significantly fewer samples than their parameters suggest.
Conventional approaches of sampling signals follow the celebrated theorem of Nyquist and Shannon. Compressive sampling, introduced by Donoho, Romberg and Tao, is a new paradigm that goes against the conventional methods in data acquisition and provides a way of recovering signals using fewer samples than the traditiona…
We propose two novel samplers to generate high-quality samples from a given (un-normalized) probability density. Motivated by the success of generative adversarial networks, we construct our samplers using deep neural networks that transform a reference distribution to the target distribution. Training schemes are deve…
New MCMC algorithm reduces subset selection passes to 2 for optimal k-dimensional subspace approximation.
problem Subset selection for k-dimensional subspace approximation with ε-approximation. method MCMC sampling algorithm reducing passes to 2 for p=2 case, poly(k/ε) size subset. result Subset selection of nearly optimal size in 2 passes, (1+ε) approximation. AGOP from KRR recovers central subspace in fewer samples than needed for prediction.
problem Recovering low-dimensional structure in multi-index polynomial functions.
method Fit kernel ridge regression and compute AGOP from the fitted predictor.
result AGOP's top r eigenspace recovers the central subspace in n≍dp+δ samples. Deep learning has achieved astonishing results on many tasks with large amounts of data and generalization within the proximity of training data. For many important real-world applications, these requirements are unfeasible and additional prior knowledge on the task domain is required to overcome the resulting problems…
New algorithm completes nonnegative tensors with fewer samples and faster convergence.
problem Tensor completion tension between sample complexity and computational complexity.
method Integer programming and Blended Conditional Gradients algorithm.
result Achieves information-theoretic sample complexity rate with practical convergence.
A new bandit algorithm for web page item display.
problem Optimizing item display at specific positions on a web page.
method Position-based multiple-play bandits with Thompson sampling.
result Delivers better recommendations with less prior information.
Several approximate policy iteration schemes without value functions, which focus on policy representation using classifiers and address policy learning as a supervised learning problem, have been proposed recently. Finding good policies with such methods requires not only an appropriate classifier, but also reliable e…
This paper proposes a novel framework to regularize the highly ill-posed and non-linear Fourier ptychography problem using generative models. We demonstrate experimentally that our proposed algorithm, Deep Ptych, outperforms the existing Fourier ptychography techniques, in terms of quality of reconstruction and robustn…
Generative Cross-Entropy improves classification with fewer labels.
problem Limited sample efficiency of cross-entropy loss in data-scarce scenarios.
method Proposes Generative Cross-Entropy (GenCE), a new loss function that incorporates generative principles into a standard discriminative network.
result Generative Cross-Entropy outperforms traditional cross-entropy loss across various datasets and conditions.
CEM-GD combines CEM and gradient descent for efficient model-based RL.
problem Efficient planning in continuous control settings with large prediction horizons.
method Combines CEM for exploration and gradient descent for exploitation.
result Achieves better performance with fewer samples and less computation time.
It is very useful to integrate human knowledge and experience into traditional neural networks for faster learning speed, fewer training samples and better interpretability. However, due to the obscured and indescribable black box model of neural networks, it is very difficult to design its architecture, interpret its …
Achieving faster execution with shorter compilation time can enable further diversity and innovation in neural networks. However, the current paradigm of executing neural networks either relies on hand-optimized libraries, traditional compilation heuristics, or very recently, simulated annealing and genetic algorithms.…
New algorithms estimate and test collision probability with near-optimal sample complexity.
problem Estimating and testing collision probability in discrete distributions.
method Developed algorithms for (α,β)-local differential privacy and sequential testing. result Achieved nearly optimal sample complexity for estimating and testing collision probability.
The Turaev genus and dealternating number of a link are two invariants that measure how far away a link is from alternating. We determine the Turaev genus of a torus knot with five or fewer strands either exactly or up to an error of at most one. We also determine the dealternating number of a torus knot with five or f…
Detecting the emergence of abrupt property changes in time series is a challenging problem. Kernel two-sample test has been studied for this task which makes fewer assumptions on the distributions than traditional parametric approaches. However, selecting kernels is non-trivial in practice. Although kernel selection fo…
It is widely believed that the practical success of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) owes to the fact that CNNs and RNNs use a more compact parametric representation than their Fully-Connected Neural Network (FNN) counterparts, and consequently require fewer training examples to…
New method improves image denoising with fewer parameters and less data.
problem Image denoising requires large datasets and supervised settings, limiting practical applications.
method Self-supervised framework using Tucker low-rank tensor approximation.
result Improves model generalizability and reduces data acquisition costs.
Tensor completion requires fewer samples with weak side information.
problem Tensor completion with limited samples and side information.
method Algorithm utilizing weak side information to reduce sample complexity.
result Consistent estimator with O(n1+κ) samples for any small constant κ>0. BREMEN optimizes policies offline with fewer data, achieving efficient deployment.
problem High cost of updating policies in real-world applications.
method Behavior-Regularized Model-ENsemble (BREMEN) algorithm for offline optimization.
result BREMEN achieves impressive deployment efficiency with 5-10 deployments, outperforming standard RL methods.
Develops Thompson Sampling algorithms for mean-variance bandits.
problem Risk in online decision making systems.
method Thompson Sampling algorithms for mean-variance MAB with comprehensive regret analyses.
result Achieves best known regret bounds for mean-variance MABs and information-theoretic bounds in some regimes.
We develop underdamped diffusion bridges for sampling from unnormalized densities.
problem Sampling from unnormalized densities without direct access to samples.
method Underdamped diffusion bridges with rigorous score matching equivalence.
result State-of-the-art performance in sampling across various problems.
Paper proposes PSIPS for identifying Pareto set with correlated objectives.
problem Identifying the best answer among items with multiple conflicting metrics.
method Posterior sampling in stopping and sampling rules for structure and correlation.
result PSIPS is asymptotically optimal and demonstrates good empirical performance.
This paper studies the problem of adaptively sampling from K distributions (arms) in order to identify the largest gap between any two adjacent means. We call this the MaxGap-bandit problem. This problem arises naturally in approximate ranking, noisy sorting, outlier detection, and top-arm identification in bandits. Th…
The aim of multi-task reinforcement learning is two-fold: (1) efficiently learn by training against multiple tasks and (2) quickly adapt, using limited samples, to a variety of new tasks. In this work, the tasks correspond to reward functions for environments with the same (or similar) dynamical models. We propose to l…
Paper proposes a new estimator for nested expectations with faster convergence.
problem Estimating nested expectations is computationally challenging.
method Nested kernel quadrature estimators with proof of faster convergence rate.
result The proposed method requires fewer samples for accurate estimation.
In this work we address the problem of transferring knowledge obtained from a vast annotated source domain to a low labeled target domain. We propose Adversarial Variational Domain Adaptation (AVDA), a semi-supervised domain adaptation method based on deep variational embedded representations. We use approximate infere…
One-step diffusion samplers reduce sampling time and computational costs.
problem Efficient sampling from complex distributions.
method One-step diffusion, self-distillation, deterministic flow.
result Achieves competitive sample quality with fewer evaluations.