Study compares adaptive vs fixed query learning methods.
problem Comparing adaptive and fixed query learning methods for task approximation.
method Examined in-context and agentic learning in two settings: unrestricted and realizable.
result Adaptivity does not hinder performance in unrestricted setting but can in realizable setting.
Neural networks struggle with learning fixed parities.
problem Difficulty of learning fixed parities with neural networks.
method Using perturbed gradient descent on one-hidden-layer ReLU networks.
result Training neural networks on fixed parities fails to produce meaningful results.
Efficiently clusters noisy data with minimal queries.
problem Clustering elements with noisy oracle feedback.
method Combination of sampling strategy and correlation clustering algorithm.
result First polynomial-time algorithms for NP-hard optimization problem.
We consider active learning of deep neural networks. Most active learning works in this context have focused on studying effective querying mechanisms and assumed that an appropriate network architecture is a priori known for the problem at hand. We challenge this assumption and propose a novel active strategy whereby …
This paper improves coreset size via smoothed analysis.
problem Efficiently computing small subsets that approximate query errors.
method Smoothed analysis for approximate average error over queries.
result Deterministic and randomized algorithms for smaller coresets.
sGPO optimizes RLVR training by balancing inference FLOPs and training efficiency.
problem RLVR training allocates rollout budget without considering query difficulty.
method sGPO trades inference FLOPs for reduced training FLOPs.
result sGPO matches or exceeds baseline performance while reducing training compute by a factor of three.
Quantum circuits are hard to learn on average.
problem Learning the output distributions of quantum circuits is hard.
method Statistical query model analysis.
result Learning quantum circuits requires exponentially many queries.
The probabilistic bisection algorithm (PBA) solves a class of stochastic root-finding problems in one dimension by successively updating a prior belief on the location of the root based on noisy responses to queries at chosen points. The responses indicate the direction of the root from the queried point, and are incor…
Optimizes state monitoring in Markovian systems with cost constraints.
problem Balancing state queries with prediction costs in Markovian systems.
method Greedy policy and SGD-based learning variant for optimal predict-query tradeoff.
result Greedy policy is suboptimal but performs close to optimal under certain conditions.
Bayesian framework learns latent preference archetypes for many-objective optimization.
problem Expanding space of trade-offs and context-dependent human values.
method Dirichlet-process mixture model for latent preference archetypes, hybrid queries for efficient information.
result Mixture-aware Bayesian optimization outperforms standard methods on synthetic and real-world benchmarks.
Source coding is the canonical problem of data compression in information theory. In a locally encodable source coding, each compressed bit depends on only few bits of the input. In this paper, we show that a recently popular model of semi-supervised clustering is equivalent to locally encodable source coding. In this …
Casting machine learning as a type of search, we demonstrate that the proportion of problems that are favorable for a fixed algorithm is strictly bounded, such that no single algorithm can perform well over a large fraction of them. Our results explain why we must either continue to develop new learning methods year af…
FAQ efficiently evaluates LLMs with statistical guarantees using adaptive query selection.
problem Efficiently evaluating many LLMs on a large suite of benchmarks is expensive.
method FAQ uses Bayesian factor models, adaptive sampling, and proactive active inference to select queries.
result FAQ delivers up to 5x effective sample size gains over baselines, matching CI width with fewer queries.
Study exact community recovery in noisy SBM with limited queries.
problem Community recovery in noisy stochastic block models with limited queries.
method Balanced uniform querying, two-stage adaptive strategy, sublinear queries, subsampled graph.
result Adaptive querying can improve exact recovery limits in noisy SBM.
Optimal ability estimation in adaptive testing with binary responses.
problem Estimating a continuous ability parameter from sequential binary responses.
method Adaptive selection of questions to maximize Fisher information, updating estimate using method-of-moments, and deciding accuracy with a test statistic.
result Fisher-tracking strategy achieves optimal performance in fixed-confidence and fixed-budget regimes.
Study efficient sequential evaluation of large language models using historical data.
problem Sequentially evaluate a new large language model (LLM) on a fixed question set.
method Construct a confidence sequence (CS) and design active querying rules to shrink CS width.
result Simple uniform sampling can sometimes outperform adaptive querying rules.
The paper optimizes k-NN for distributed learning with minimax optimal performance.
problem Minimizing error rates in classification, regression, and density estimation.
method Optimal aggregation of fixed-k nearest neighbors from multiple subsets of data.
result Achieves minimax optimal error rates up to a logarithmic factor.
New research shows exponential lower bounds for planning in MDPs with linearly-realizable optimal action-value functions.
problem Determining the minimum number of queries needed for sound planners in MDPs with linear function approximation.
method Analyzing fixed-horizon and discounted MDPs with a generative model, showing lower bounds on the number of queries required.
result Sound planners need at least exponential number of queries in both fixed-horizon and discounted settings.
The paper addresses learner privacy in convex optimization with feedback.
problem Privacy risks from eavesdropping adversaries observing learner's queries.
method Optimally obfuscating learner's queries to make their learned optimal value hard to estimate.
result Query complexity overhead is additive in L in the minimax formulation, multiplicative in L in the Bayesian formulation. Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) are a popular generative model, but one in which conditional inference can be challenging. If the decomposition into query and evidence variables is fixed, conditional VAEs provide an attractive solution. To support arbitrary queries, one is generally reduced to Markov Chain Monte Carlo …
Noisy Max and Sparse Vector are selection algorithms for differential privacy and serve as building blocks for more complex algorithms. In this paper we show that both algorithms can release additional information for free (i.e., at no additional privacy cost). Noisy Max is used to return the approximate maximizer amon…
Statistical query (SQ) algorithms are algorithms that have access to an {\em SQ oracle} for the input distribution D instead of i.i.d.~ samples from D. Given a query function φ:X→[−1,1], the oracle returns an estimate of Ex∼D[φ(x)] within some tolerance τφ that roughly corresponds t…
Amortizes MIPS by training neural networks to predict optimal keys.
problem Efficiently solving Maximum Inner Product Search for repeated queries.
method Regression-based SupportNet and KeyNet models trained on support functions.
result Significant improvement in IVF match rates for document embeddings.
Paper develops a dynamic Bayesian approach for active learning that optimizes exploration-exploitation balance.
problem Balancing exploration and exploitation in active learning for unknown functions.
method Develops BHEEM, a Bayesian hierarchical approach with approximate Bayesian computation for sampling trade-off parameters.
result BHEEM achieves at least 21% and 11% improvement over pure exploration and exploitation strategies respectively.
There is increasing interest in learning algorithms that involve interaction between human and machine. Comparison-based queries are among the most natural ways to get feedback from humans. A challenge in designing comparison-based interactive learning algorithms is coping with noisy answers. The most common fix is to …
Solves TOD systems' query annotation problem without explicit annotations.
problem Training TOD systems without explicit KB query annotation.
method Reinforcement learning (RL) and pipelined approach for query prediction and system training.
result Improved RL agent with modifications for TOD tasks.
We study the problem of estimating a set of d linear queries with respect to some unknown distribution p over a domain J=[J] based on a sensitive data set of n individuals under the constraint of local differential privacy. This problem subsumes a wide range of estimation tasks, e.g., distrib…
Study variance-reduced method for estimating fixed points in Banach spaces.
problem Estimating fixed points of contractive operators in Banach spaces with noisy evaluations.
method Variance-reduced stochastic approximation scheme in Banach spaces.
result Establish non-asymptotic bounds for operator defect and estimation error.
Proposes a new query autocompletion method that maximizes retrieval performance.
problem Users often select suboptimal queries due to unknown best retrieval performance.
method Formulates query autocompletion as ranking item rankings, uses counterfactual learning.
result Empirical results show improved query suggestions for better retrieval performance.
We study the query complexity of a learner-private sequential learning problem, motivated by the privacy and security concerns due to eavesdropping that arise in practical applications such as pricing and Federated Learning. A learner tries to estimate an unknown scalar value, by sequentially querying an external datab…
We formalize the notion of nesting probabilistic programming queries and investigate the resulting statistical implications. We demonstrate that while query nesting allows the definition of models which could not otherwise be expressed, such as those involving agents reasoning about other agents, existing systems take …
We introduce new combinatorial quantities for concept classes, and prove lower and upper bounds for learning complexity in several models of query learning in terms of various combinatorial quantities. Our approach is flexible and powerful enough to enough to give new and very short proofs of the efficient learnability…
The paper tackles learning smooth distance functions using query-based methods.
problem Learning smooth distance functions under query constraints.
method Global and local approaches using Mahalanobis distance functions.
result Quadratic query complexity for both additive and multiplicative approximations.
Study learns linear utility functions from comparisons, showing learnability gaps between passive and active learning.
problem Learn linear utility functions from pairwise comparison queries.
method Analyzes passive and active learning settings, considering noise-free and noisy query responses.
result Efficient learnability of linear utilities in passive learning, but not for utility parameters without strong assumptions.
In query learning, the goal is to identify an unknown object while minimizing the number of "yes" or "no" questions (queries) posed about that object. A well-studied algorithm for query learning is known as generalized binary search (GBS). We show that GBS is a greedy algorithm to optimize the expected number of querie…
LEAQI learns to query an expert less often for noisy guidance.
problem Active imitation learning with noisy guidance to reduce expert query complexity.
method Developed LEAQI, a difference classifier that predicts expert disagreement with noisy heuristic.
result Significantly fewer queries to the expert with comparable or better accuracy.
Procedure verifies if machine learning models assign fixed predictions that preclude access.
problem Models assign fixed predictions that preclude access to credit and employment.
method Model-agnostic recourse verification with reachable sets.
result Models can inadvertently preclude access by assigning fixed predictions.
TensorPlan shows an exponential lower bound for planning in MDPs with linearly realizable value functions.
problem Finding an exponential lower bound for planning in MDPs with linearly realizable value functions.
method TensorPlan and a few action lower bound approach.
result An exponentially large lower bound is shown for planning in MDPs with linearly realizable value functions.
We define and study the problem of modular concept learning, that is, learning a concept that is a cross product of component concepts. If an element's membership in a concept depends solely on it's membership in the components, learning the concept as a whole can be reduced to learning the components. We analyze this …
Enhances preference learning by incorporating response times into binary choices.
problem Limited information from binary choices about preference strength.
method Combines choices and response times using the EZ diffusion model.
result Response times improve utility estimation for strong preferences.
Game theory helps machine learn better from adversarial queries.
problem Adversarial evasion in machine learning prediction.
method Repeated Bayesian Sequential Game to balance classifier selection and query type.
result Learner selects appropriate classifier for clean vs. adversarial queries.
SARD improves adversarial robustness in two-stage L2D systems.
problem Adversarial attacks can manipulate query allocation in two-stage L2D systems.
method Introduces SARD, a convex learning algorithm with provable guarantees.
result SARD significantly improves robustness under adversarial attacks while maintaining strong clean performance.
Fixed-parameter tractability of private synthetic data generation
problem Generating synthetic data under differential privacy
method Linear programming and subsampled private multiplicative weights method
result Optimal error rates across all regimes
GraphQ system uses GNNs to search for subgraph patterns in graphs.
problem Efficiently identifying and matching subgraph patterns in graph data.
method Graph neural networks (GNNs) for encoding graph data and NeuroAlign for node alignment.
result NeuroAlign improves node-alignment accuracy by 19-29% compared to baseline GNNs.
Efficiently classifies binary labels with XOR queries, even under noisy conditions.
problem Binary classification with unknown labels using XOR queries.
method Effective query type and an efficient inference algorithm for noisy conditions.
result Achieves information-theoretic limit on optimal number of queries.
Unified query framework for active metric learning and classification.
problem Combining representation learning and task-specific goals in machine learning.
method Adaptive selection of nearest neighbor queries using information theoretic criterion.
result Actively selected nearest neighbor queries outperform recent methods in deep metric learning and classification.
The paper bridges theory and practice in query-driven selectivity learning.
problem Insufficient theoretical understanding of query-driven selectivity learning.
method Demonstrates learnability of selectivity predictors and establishes favorable OOD generalization error bounds.
result Theoretical advances improve OOD generalization of query-driven selectivity models.
Clustered attention improves transformer efficiency for large sequences.
problem Quadratic complexity of transformer attention matrix for large sequences.
method Group queries into clusters, compute attention only for centroids, and use centroids to approximate key/query dot products.
result Linear complexity with respect to sequence length for a fixed number of clusters.