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arXiv research

A locally-built, LLM-digested index of recent arXiv papers in quant finance, geometry/topology, and statistical ML — keyword search served straight from SQLite on this machine.

168,657 papers · 148 categories

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63127190253 · Jun 202019922001200920172026
48 results for In-context adaptation

Transformer learns to infer partial MDPs for efficient in-context adaptation and exploration.

problem Efficiently adapt and explore in-context without gradient-based updates.
method Uses a transformer to learn inference from training tasks, considering hypothesis space of partial models.
result Adaptation speed and exploration-exploitation balance approach those of an exact posterior sampling oracle.

Transformers can adaptively select and perform various machine learning tasks in context.

problem Transformers' ability to perform multiple machine learning tasks without explicit prompting.
method Statistical theory and efficient implementation of in-context gradient descent, enabling transformers to implement various algorithms and tasks.
result Transformers can implement a broad class of standard machine learning algorithms in context, including algorithm selection.

Fine-tuning harms in-context learning, but restricting updates to the value matrix improves zero-shot performance.

problem Fine-tuning harms in-context learning, reducing zero-shot performance on unseen tasks.
method Theoretical analysis of linear attention models, identifying conditions for degraded few-shot performance.
result Restricting updates to the value matrix improves zero-shot performance while preserving in-context learning.

LLMs learn probability density functions in-context, showing distinct learning trajectories.

problem Density estimation of time series data in LLMs.
method Intensive Principal Component Analysis (InPCA) to visualize and analyze LLMs' learning dynamics.
result LLMs follow similar learning trajectories in a low-dimensional InPCA space, distinct from traditional methods.

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.

Bayesian analysis reveals epistemic uncertainty as a key diagnostic for delayed generalization in in-context learning.

problem Delayed generalization in in-context learning from few examples.
method Bayesian perspective, modular arithmetic tasks, approximate Bayesian techniques, spectral mechanism analysis.
result Epistemic uncertainty collapses sharply when the model groks, indicating a practical diagnostic of generalization.

AdaDPSyn generates synthetic examples to protect private data in ICL.

problem Protecting private data in in-context learning with large language models.
method Data-adaptive differentially private algorithm that dynamically adjusts noise level based on data properties.
result AdaDPSyn outperforms existing methods in preserving high ICL accuracy while maintaining differential privacy.

TTT improves model adaptation to test data, especially for nonlinear models.

problem Improving model performance in adapting to test data, especially for nonlinear models.
method Combining Test-time Training (TTT) with In-context Learning (ICL) for nonlinear models.
result TTT enables models to adapt to both feature vector and link function shifts, improving performance.

Transformers learn low-dimensional target functions efficiently in-context.

problem Efficiently learning nonlinear target functions in-context using transformers.
method Nonlinear MLP layer in transformers optimized by gradient descent, focusing on single-index target functions.
result Transformers can learn target functions with low-dimensional structures efficiently in-context.

The paper addresses adversarial robustness in in-context learning models.

problem Adversarial distribution shifts threaten the reliability of in-context learning models.
method A distributionally robust meta-learning framework is introduced to provide worst-case performance guarantees under Wasserstein-based distribution shifts.
result Model robustness scales with the square root of its capacity and is penalized by the square of the perturbation magnitude.

Paper proposes linear transformers for efficient in-context learning without context length limitations.

problem Quadratic complexity of softmax transformers limits data processing speed.
method Investigates linear transformers under domain generalization, showing they learn mappings from context distributions to response functions.
result Linear transformers achieve in-context learning with a linear complexity in context length, offering a dimension-independent convergence rate.

MLPs can approximate any function in context, challenging the importance of in-context universality.

problem Understanding why transformers are more effective than classical models.
method Proved MLPs with trainable activation functions are universal in context.
result Transformer success is likely due to factors other than in-context universality.

Transformers can emulate various algorithms by prompting, proving universality.

problem How to emulate algorithms using fixed-weight Transformers.
method Two modes of in-context algorithm emulation: task-specific and prompt-programmable. Constructing prompts that encode algorithm parameters into token representations.
result Fixed-weight Transformers can emulate a broad class of algorithms via prompts.

TabPFN models achieve state-of-the-art performance on tabular data tasks.

problem Lack of interpretability in TabPFN models.
method Adaptations of interpretability methods specifically designed for TabPFN, leveraging in-context learning and LOCO.
result Improved interpretability of TabPFN models through efficient computations and scalable data valuation methods.

Enhances neural processes to learn from multiple related datasets.

problem Improving predictions from datasets with shared similarities.
method Developed the in-context in-context learning pseudo-token TNP (ICICL-TNP) to condition on both sets of datapoints and sets of datasets.
result Demonstrated the importance and effectiveness of in-context in-context learning.

New research reveals how the pretraining distribution affects in-context learning in large language models.

problem Understanding how the pretraining distribution influences in-context learning in large language models.
method Developed a theoretical framework to characterize the relationship between pretraining distribution properties and in-context learning performance.
result Characterized a fundamental trade-off between robust task selection and generalization in ICL due to the pretraining distribution's statistical properties.

This work introduces a method to decompose uncertainty in in-context learning for large language models.

problem Understanding the sources of uncertainty in in-context learning for large language models.
method Variational uncertainty decomposition framework without sampling from latent parameter posterior.
result Quantitative and qualitative validation of decomposed epistemic and aleatoric uncertainties.

Transformers learn to perform logistic regression in-context.

problem Understanding how transformers learn to perform specific tasks in-context.
method Constructed multi-layer transformers that perform in-context logistic regression through normalized gradient descent.
result Transformers can be trained to perform in-context logistic regression effectively.

Transformers learn to adapt to different task difficulties and resist distribution shifts.

problem Understanding and optimizing a Transformer's performance across various task difficulties and distribution shifts.
method Analyzing a pretrained Transformer on a mixture distribution of tasks, proving optimal convergence rates.
result Transformers achieve optimal convergence rates on tasks of specific difficulty levels, robust to distribution shifts.

Looped Transformers learn to implement multi-step gradient descent for in-context learning.

problem Understanding the learnability of multi-step algorithms in multi-layer Transformers.
method Training weight-sharing looped Transformers for in-context linear regression, proving gradient dominance condition for convergence.
result Looped Transformers implement multi-step preconditioned gradient descent, converging to global minimizer.

Transformers show better in-context learning resilience under distribution shifts than simple MLPs.

problem Understanding in-context learning under varying distribution shifts.
method Comparing transformers and set-based MLPs on linear regression tasks.
result Transformers better emulate OLS performance and exhibit better resilience to mild distribution shifts.

Transformers learn to play games in-context, proving Nash equilibrium.

problem Understanding in-context game-playing capabilities of pre-trained transformers.
method Theoretical guarantees and constructional results for transformer architecture in multi-agent games.
result Pre-trained transformers can learn Nash equilibrium in-context for two-player zero-sum games.

We show how to convert ICL in linearized transformers into model weights.

problem Making in-context learning interpretable and permanent in large language models.
method Demonstrates equivalence between ICL and bias terms in linearized transformers, and develops ICLCA for exact conversion.
result Exact conversion of in-context learning into model weights is possible for linearized transformers.

Continuum transformers learn operators in context via gradient descent.

problem Generalizing transformers to handle infinite-dimensional inputs for in-context learning.
method Gradient descent in an operator RKHS, leveraging generalized representer theorems and gradient flows.
result Operator learned in context is Bayes Optimal Predictor in infinite depth limit.

LLMs perform well in financial sentiment analysis without fine-tuning.

problem Challenges in financial terminology, emotions, and ambiguous expressions.
method In-context learning methods for financial document-sentiment pairs.
result LLMs can generalize in-context demonstrations to new financial documents.

New framework shows cross-attention improves multi-modal in-context learning.

problem Understanding multi-modal in-context learning in neural networks.
method Mathematical framework and linearized cross-attention mechanism.
result Cross-attention mechanism is provably optimal for multi-modal in-context learning.

ICEE learns new RL tasks in less time with a Transformer model.

problem Efficient in-context policy learning for reinforcement learning.
method In-context Exploration-Exploitation (ICEE) algorithm that optimizes efficiency without explicit Bayesian inference.
result ICEE solves Bayesian optimization problems as efficiently as Gaussian process biased methods but in significantly less time.

New analysis shows transformer models can't learn effectively.

problem Transformer models learning in context can't achieve general predictive accuracy.
method Empirical evidence and mathematical analysis of transformer architecture limitations.
result Transformers cannot achieve general predictive accuracy due to architectural limitations.

Transformers with MLP heads outperform linear baselines in in-context learning.

problem Understanding in-context learning in Transformers with nonlinear MLP heads.
method Analyzing a model with two-layer MLPs trained via gradient steps and fully optimized, under high-dimensional asymptotics.
result Nonlinear MLPs enhance ICL performance, particularly on nonlinear tasks.

Transformers learn new tasks from few examples via optimal approximation.

problem Learning new tasks from limited examples using large language models.
method Developed approximation and generalization error bounds for transformers trained on nonparametric regression tasks.
result Transformers achieve minimax optimal estimation risk in context.

Transformers converge linearly to optimal models for Gaussian mixtures classification.

problem Theoretical understanding of transformers' in-context classification.
method Gradient descent training of a single-layer transformer for Gaussian mixtures classification.
result Transformers converge linearly to globally optimal models for Gaussian mixtures classification.

Study on neural scaling laws for solving linear systems in-context.

problem Theoretical guarantees for solving linear systems using a linear transformer architecture.
method Neural scaling laws and task diversity for in-domain and out-of-domain generalization.
result Novel notion of task diversity for necessary and sufficient condition of generalization under task shifts.

Transformers enable in-context learning with guarantees for a wide range of tasks.

problem How to enable in-context learning with transformers for various tasks.
method Developed a universal approximation theory integrating Barron's function approximation with transformer capabilities.
result Transformers can approximate any target function with vanishingly small risk using a few in-context examples.