This article introduces a framework to estimate the value of evidence-based decision making.
problem Lack of empirical tools to assess the value of evidence-based decision making and optimize statistical precision.
method Empirical framework using parametric and nonparametric empirical Bayes methods.
result The value of statistical evidence depends on how organizations translate it into policy decisions.
Lecture notes on reinforcement learning using statistical methods.
problem Addressing the exploration-exploitation dilemma in decision making.
method Frequentist and Bayesian approaches, function approximation, neural networks.
result Unified framework for decision making and estimation.
Study minimax-optimal rates for offline decision-making with function approximation.
problem Statistical complexity of offline decision-making with function approximation.
method Near minimax-optimal rates for stochastic contextual bandits and Markov decision processes, using pseudo-dimension and behavior policy.
result Established performance limits and new characterization of behavior policy.
New complexity measure for interactive learning reduces regret to near-optimal levels.
problem Challenges in sample-efficient, adaptive learning algorithms for interactive decision making.
method Introduces the Decision-Estimation Coefficient and the Estimation-to-Decisions (E2D) principle.
result Unified algorithm design principle E2D achieves optimal sample-efficient learning.
Study on multi-agent decision making complexity, showing sample efficiency gaps.
problem Understanding sample efficiency in multi-agent decision making.
method General framework for interactive decision making, focusing on equilibrium computation.
result No 'reasonable' complexity measure can close gaps between single and multiple agents.
New online method for statistical inference with matrix context in decision-making.
problem Statistical inference in decision-making with matrix context.
method Proposes a fully online procedure to conduct statistical inference with adaptive data collection, handling low-rank structure.
result Establishes asymptotic normality of debiased estimators and proves validity of confidence intervals.
Paper addresses regret minimization and inference in high-dimensional online decision-making.
problem Regret minimization and statistical inference in high-dimensional online decision-making.
method Integrates ε-greedy bandit algorithm with hard thresholding for sparse bandit parameters and debiasing method for inference.
result Achieves either O(T1/2) regret or O(T1/2)-consistent inference, with trade-off between exploration and exploitation. User authentication and intrusion detection differ from standard classification problems in that while we have data generated from legitimate users, impostor or intrusion data is scarce or non-existent. We review existing techniques for dealing with this problem and propose a novel alternative based on a principled sta…
An online decision-making algorithm using stochastic gradient descent for big data.
problem Efficiently updating decision rules in online decision making with big data.
method Stochastic gradient descent for online updates, asymptotic normality of estimators.
result Asymptotic normality of parameter and value estimators, enabling statistical inference.
This review examines bandit problems in AI using statistical methods.
problem Sequential decision-making under uncertainty in AI environments.
method Foundational models, concentration inequalities, minimax regret bounds, frequentist and Bayesian algorithms, K-armed contextual bandits, SCAB, functional data analysis.
result Exploration-exploitation trade-offs and regret analyses in various bandit problems.
Study shows how AI model can improve decision-making with missing data.
problem Sequential decision-making with missing covariates.
method Introduced model elasticity to quantify imputation discrepancy; used statistical learning and regression for calibration.
result Calibrating pre-trained models can significantly reduce regret in decision-making.
Study proposes a statistical test for Vision Transformer's attention mechanisms.
problem ViT's attention mechanisms may focus on irrelevant regions, leading to unreliable evidence.
method Selective inference framework to quantify statistical significance of attentions as p-values.
result Proposed method enables reliable quantification of false positive detection probability of attentions.
LLMs fail to match statistical ground truth despite stable run-to-run performance.
problem LLMs lack validation against statistical ground truth in automated scientific workflows.
method Introduced a behavioral evaluation framework for LLMs, separating four decision-making dimensions.
result LLMs can exhibit near-perfect stability but diverge from statistical ground truth.
The study assesses the relative value of prediction in algorithmic decision making.
problem Improving welfare through better predictions versus other policy levers.
method Theoretical analysis of statistical models.
result Simple conditions determining the relative value of prediction.
This paper introduces DCE for better counterfactual explanations using optimal transport.
problem Lack of nuanced distributional characteristics in existing counterfactual explanations.
method Formulates a chance-constrained optimization problem using optimal transport to derive counterfactual distributions.
result DCE provides deeper insights into decision-making models by aligning counterfactual distributions with factual ones.
Unified framework for lower bounds in interactive decision making.
problem Challenges in interactive decision making, especially bandits and reinforcement learning.
method Interactive Fano method and Fractional Covering Number.
result Unified characterization of learnability for stochastic bandit problems and tight lower bounds for interactive decision making.
Conformal prediction sets improve human decision making by quantifying model uncertainty.
problem Humans signal uncertainty and offer alternatives when unsure, but machine learning models often lack this feature.
method Conducted a randomized controlled trial with human subjects given conformal prediction sets.
result Human accuracy improves when given conformal prediction sets compared to fixed-size prediction sets.
With an eye towards human-centered automation, we contribute to the development of a systematic means to infer features of human decision-making from behavioral data. Motivated by the common use of softmax selection in models of human decision-making, we study the maximum likelihood parameter estimation problem for sof…
This paper explores minimax-Bayes solutions for reinforcement learning problems.
problem How to select appropriate priors for decision making under uncertainty in sequential decision making.
method Study of minimax-Bayes solutions for various reinforcement learning problems.
result Minimax policies are more robust than standard priors.
Develops a statistical learning framework for personalized asset allocation.
problem Continuous-action decision-making with a large number of characteristics.
method Discretization approach with generalized penalties for penalized regression.
result Improves financial well-being with individualized optimal asset allocation.
New algorithm for partially observable contexts in finance.
problem Decision making based on partially observable, correlated market information.
method EMKF-Bandit algorithm integrating system identification, filtering, and bandit algorithms.
result Sub-linear regret under conditions on filtering.
The paper tackles uncertainty in multi-objective decision-making.
problem Learning Pareto-efficient decisions with statistical confidence in uncertain outcomes.
method Adapting Pareto-efficient decisions to uncertainty, using conformal prediction.
result Statistical guarantees for efficient decisions in uncertain contexts.
The paper addresses statistical inference for online decision-making in a contextual bandit setting.
problem Understanding the performance of reward models in online decision-making with contextual information.
method The paper uses the contextual bandit framework with a linear reward model and the ε-greedy policy to address the exploration-exploitation dilemma. It employs the martingale central limit theorem and inverse propensity score weighting to establish asymptotic normality of parameter estimators. result The online ordinary least squares estimator and the online weighted least squares estimator are asymptotically normal, providing insights into the performance of the reward model.
Introduces principal fairness for fair decision-making.
problem Discrimination among similarly affected individuals.
method Uses principal stratification from causal inference.
result Explicitly accounts for decision impacts, not just protected attributes.
We enhance autonomous materials research with problem-aware models.
problem Complex decision-making in autonomous materials.
method Bayesian framework, machine learning, physics-based models, operational considerations.
result Improved models reflect problem-specific structure.
This guide explains statistical distances for evaluating generative models.
problem Evaluating the quality of samples from generative models.
method Four statistical distances: SW, C2ST, MMD, FID.
result Different distances can yield varying results on similar data.
Unified framework for Bayesian and Frequentist statistics.
problem Embedding Bayesian statistics within a broader decision-making framework.
method Game theory and statistical analysis.
result Statistical games unify Bayesian and Frequentist statistics.
New algorithm improves knowledge transfer in dynamic decision-making.
problem Utilizing data from existing ventures to improve decision-making in new ventures.
method Proposes Transferred Fitted Q-Iteration algorithm for estimating optimal action-state function Q∗. result Significantly improved final learning error of Q∗ function. New framework converts offline to online estimation using black-box offline estimators.
problem Convert offline estimation algorithms to online estimation algorithms.
method Oracle-Efficient Online Estimation (OEOE) framework.
result Achieves near-optimal online estimation error via black-box offline estimators.
Universal algorithm learns unknown distribution for various decision-making problems.
problem Various statistical measures in contextual sequential decision-making.
method Infinite-dimensional functional regression oracle for cumulative distribution functions.
result Utility regret rate bounded by polynomial decay of eigenvalue sequence.
We introduce a unified probabilistic framework for solving sequential decision making problems ranging from Bayesian optimisation to contextual bandits and reinforcement learning. This is accomplished by a probabilistic model-based approach that explains observed data while capturing predictive uncertainty during the d…
The main goal of statistical learning theory is to provide a fundamental framework for the problem of decision making and model construction based on sets of data. Here, we present a brief introduction to the fundamentals of statistical learning theory, in particular the difference between empirical and structural risk…
New methods improve robust decision-making under uncertainty in off-policy evaluation.
problem Statistical uncertainty and causal considerations in off-policy evaluation.
method Marginal Ratio (MR) estimator, Conformal Off-Policy Prediction (COPP), causal bounds.
result Improved robustness and uncertainty quantification in off-policy decision-making.
Online anomaly detection in surveillance videos with false alarm rate bounds.
problem Lack of theoretical performance analysis and online decision making in anomaly detection.
method Proposes an online anomaly detection method with asymptotic bounds on false alarm rate.
result Demonstrates effectiveness on publicly available data sets, outperforming state-of-the-art algorithms.
The applications of techniques from statistical (and classical) mechanics to model interesting problems in economics and finance has produced valuable results. The principal movement which has steered this research direction is known under the name of `econophysics'. In this paper, we illustrate and advance some of the…
Statisticians contribute to LLMs for better trust and transparency.
problem Emerging statistical challenges in LLMs.
method Exploring statistical contributions to LLMs.
result Statisticians can enhance LLMs' trustworthiness and transparency.
Develops new methods for risk-aware decision-making in medical bandits.
problem Risk-averse decision-making in medical contexts with limited data.
method Safe, anytime-valid concentration bounds, risk-aware contextual bandits, nonparametric algorithms.
result Improved decision-making algorithms for postoperative patient follow-up.
Paper formalizes a reinforcement learning model for complex information structures.
problem Complex interdependence in sequential decision-making problems.
method Formalizes a novel reinforcement learning model with explicit information structure representation.
result Upper bound on sample complexity of learning general sequential decision-making problems.
Adaptive data fusion boosts efficiency in multi-task optimization.
problem Multi-task non-smooth optimization in various fields.
method Adaptive data fusion approach leveraging commonalities among objectives.
result Significant improvements in sample efficiency with sharp statistical guarantees.
Improved model-free reinforcement learning with decision-estimation coefficient.
problem Interactive decision making, including structured bandits and reinforcement learning.
method Combining Estimation-to-Decisions with optimistic estimation to achieve better regret bounds.
result Regret bounds for model-free reinforcement learning with value function approximation.
This paper analyzes the multi-armed bandit model using path-integral methods.
problem Understanding the stochastic dynamics and optimal strategies in multi-armed bandit problems.
method Path-integral analysis of statistical physics.
result Emergence of multimodal regret distribution with large regrets from exploitation of sub-optimal arms.
We extend CS divergence to conditional distributions and show its advantages in time series data and sequential decision making.
problem Quantifying the closeness between conditional distributions.
method Developed and estimated a conditional Cauchy-Schwarz divergence using kernel density estimation.
result Conditional CS divergence outperforms previous methods in time series clustering and sequential decision making.
Study wSAA for contextual decisions, improving uncertainty quantification under computational constraints.
problem Uncertainty quantification limitations in wSAA for contextual stochastic optimization.
method Establish central limit theorems and asymptotic-normality-based confidence intervals for optimal costs.
result Over-optimizing can mitigate misspecification and preserve asymptotic normality, albeit at a slower convergence rate.
New method uses nested optimal transport for financial time series evaluation.
problem Lack of consensus metric for evaluating generative models in finance.
method Nested optimal transport distance for time-causal tasks, with a parallelizable algorithm.
result Substantial speedups and robustness to financial tasks.
Unified framework for fair decision-making across diverse groups.
problem Statistical brittleness in fairness testing for small subgroups.
method Size-adaptive hypothesis testing framework.
result Validated approach for interpretable, statistically rigorous decisions.
New algorithms tackle statistical heterogeneity in federated learning.
problem Statistical heterogeneity in distributed machine learning models.
method Introduces three novel methods: SuPerFed, AAggFF, and FedEvg.
result Mitigates statistical heterogeneity in federated learning.
Machine learning algorithms are now frequently used in sensitive contexts that substantially affect the course of human lives, such as credit lending or criminal justice. This is driven by the idea that `objective' machines base their decisions solely on facts and remain unaffected by human cognitive biases, discrimina…
Two new approaches improve decision-making in asset monitoring systems.
problem Sampling bias in risk-based active learning leads to poor performance later.
method Semi-supervised learning and discriminative classification models.
result Discriminative classifiers are more robust to sampling bias.