Paper proposes unbiased learning for recommendation causal effects.
problem Estimating the causal effect of recommendation when the ground truth is unobservable.
method Inverse propensity scoring technique to construct unbiased estimators, followed by empirical risk minimization with propensity capping.
result The proposed method outperforms other biased learning methods in various settings.
AIPS improves ranking policy evaluation by adapting to diverse user behavior.
problem Inaccurate Off-Policy Evaluation of ranking policies due to high variance under diverse user behavior.
method Developed Adaptive IPS (AIPS) that adapts to different user behaviors and minimizes MSE.
result AIPS achieves minimum variance among unbiased estimators and provides significant empirical accuracy improvement.
Proposes a new IPW-based ranking metric for two-sided markets.
problem Addressing bias in implicit user feedback in two-sided markets.
method Extends IPW estimator to two-sided markets, addressing position bias.
result Proposed estimator is unbiased for ground-truth ranking metric.
PLUMAGE improves large model training efficiency and stability.
problem Accelerator memory and networking constraints during large model training.
method Probabilistic Low rank Unbiased Minimum Variance Gradient Estimator (PLUMAGE) that resolves bias and variance issues.
result PLUMAGE reduces training loss by 28% on average across the GLUE benchmark.
The most popular approach for analyzing survival data is the Cox regression model. The Cox model may, however, be misspecified, and its proportionality assumption may not always be fulfilled. An alternative approach for survival prediction is random forests for survival outcomes. The standard split criterion for random…
This paper studies the evaluation of policies that recommend an ordered set of items (e.g., a ranking) based on some context---a common scenario in web search, ads, and recommendation. We build on techniques from combinatorial bandits to introduce a new practical estimator that uses logged data to estimate a policy's p…
Paper proposes a method to estimate counterfactual outcomes without a known SCM.
problem Estimating counterfactual outcomes without a known structural causal model.
method Introduces rank preservation assumption and a novel ideal loss for unbiased learning of counterfactual outcomes.
result The proposed method is effective and unbiased, as shown by theoretical analysis and experiments.
Paper proposes CounterSample to improve convergence in LTR models.
problem Large variance in IPS weights slows convergence in LTR models.
method Introduces CounterSample algorithm with provably better convergence.
result CounterSample converges faster than standard IPS-weighted methods.
We present online boosting algorithms for multilabel ranking with top-k feedback, where the learner only receives information about the top k items from the ranking it provides. We propose a novel surrogate loss function and unbiased estimator, allowing weak learners to update themselves with limited information. Using…
New method uses rank-conditioned Horvitz-Thompson estimation for unbiased sample reuse in Plackett-Luce best-of-K objective.
problem Estimating the expected maximum reward in Plackett-Luce draws without replacement.
method Rank-conditioned Horvitz-Thompson estimation with joint-score REINFORCE for unbiased sample reuse.
result Unbiased estimation of the Plackett-Luce best-of-K objective with finite second moment guarantees.
We propose a new model for supervised learning to rank. In our model, the relevance labels are assumed to follow a categorical distribution whose probabilities are constructed based on a scoring function. We optimize the training objective with respect to the multivariate categorical variables with an unbiased and low-…
Study shows the corrected Akaike criterion is inadmissible for estimating Kullback-Leibler discrepancy.
problem Inadmissibility of the corrected Akaike information criterion for estimating Kullback-Leibler discrepancy.
method Loss estimation framework to demonstrate inadmissibility and provide improved estimators.
result Improved estimators of Kullback-Leibler discrepancy are provided and perform well in reduced-rank situations.
The total duration of drawdowns is shown to provide a moment-free, unbiased, efficient and robust estimator of Sharpe ratios both for Gaussian and heavy-tailed price returns. We then use this quantity to infer an analytic expression of the bias of moment-based Sharpe ratio estimators as a function of the return distrib…
A new learning-to-rank approach ensures fairness for item providers in dynamic ranking systems.
problem Myopically optimizing user utility can be unfair to item providers in two-sided markets.
method A controller that integrates unbiased estimators for fairness and utility, dynamically adapting as more data becomes available.
result Empirically, the algorithm is highly practical and robust, ensuring amortized group fairness.
Transformers with linear space and time complexity for accurate attention estimation.
problem Efficiently estimating attention in large-scale tasks without relying on priors.
method Performers use Fast Attention Via positive Orthogonal Random features (FAVOR+) for linear approximation of softmax attention.
result Performers achieve competitive results on various tasks, demonstrating the effectiveness of their attention-learning approach.
Human decision-makers often receive assistance from data-driven algorithmic systems that provide a score for evaluating objects, including individuals. The scores are generated by a function (mechanism) that takes a set of features as input and generates a score.The scoring functions are either machine-learned or human…
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.
While implicit feedback (e.g., clicks, dwell times, etc.) is an abundant and attractive source of data for learning to rank, it can produce unfair ranking policies for both exogenous and endogenous reasons. Exogenous reasons typically manifest themselves as biases in the training data, which then get reflected in the l…
In this work we develop Curvature Propagation (CP), a general technique for efficiently computing unbiased approximations of the Hessian of any function that is computed using a computational graph. At the cost of roughly two gradient evaluations, CP can give a rank-1 approximation of the whole Hessian, and can be repe…
A new estimator reduces bias and variance in ranking policy evaluation.
problem Estimating ranking policies using logged data in recommender systems.
method Cascade Doubly Robust estimator based on the cascade assumption.
result The estimator reduces bias and variance compared to existing methods.
Synthetic construction of 3D complex bases.
problem Creating a complete set of unbiased bases in 3D complex space.
method Synthetic construction using complex projective trigonometry.
result Synthetic construction of mutually unbiased bases in C^3.
Unbiased wealth exchanges always lead to inequality.
problem Understanding wealth distribution in unbiased binary exchange systems.
method Analytical demonstration of unbiased binary exchanges leading to perfect inequality.
result Any system driven by unbiased binary exchanges will reach perfect inequality and zero mobility.
Kernel quadrature improves CRPS estimation for probabilistic time-series forecasting.
problem Intractable integrations in CRPS evaluation metrics lead to improper rankings of forecasting models.
method Introduced kernel quadrature approach for unbiased CRPS estimation and scalable computation.
result Our approach consistently outperforms existing CRPS estimators.
Paper addresses bias in search intent affecting click behavior.
problem Bias in user search intent affects click behavior and relevance.
method Proposes a search intent bias hypothesis to improve click models.
result Click models can better interpret user clicks and improve retrieval performance.
New estimator for tensor weights with improved bias.
problem Estimating tensor weights from noisy data.
method Random matrix theory and KKT conditions.
result Asymptotically unbiased estimator for tensor rank.
MUSE provides unbiased stopping estimates for optimal problems.
problem Estimating the utility of optimal stopping problems.
method Backward recursive construction of the Multilevel Unbiased Stopping Estimator (MUSE).
result MUSE achieves ε-accuracy with O(1/ε^2) computational cost.
Randomized trials, also known as A/B tests, are used to select between two policies: a control and a treatment. Given a corresponding set of features, we can ideally learn an optimized policy P that maps the A/B test data features to action space and optimizes reward. However, although A/B testing provides an unbiased …
No feature ranking can be faithful, stable, and complete when features are collinear.
problem The impossibility of creating a feature ranking that is simultaneously faithful, stable, and complete when features are collinear.
method Proving the impossibility, quantifying it for four model classes, resolving it via ensemble averaging (DASH), and machine-verifying it with Lean 4 theorems.
result No method lies outside the dichotomy of faithful-complete methods (unstable, with rankings that flip up to 50% of the time) and ensemble methods (stable, reporting ties for symmetric features).
New algorithm finds unbiased subnetworks in biased datasets.
problem Finding unbiased subnetworks in biased neural networks.
method Debiased Contrastive Weight Pruning (DCWP) algorithm.
result DCWP significantly outperforms state-of-the-art debiasing methods.
Proposes unbiased estimators for training mixture of experts models.
problem Efficiently training large-scale mixture of experts models on modern hardware.
method Two unbiased estimators based on principled stochastic assignment procedures.
result Both estimators are more effective and robust than biased alternatives.
SUMO provides unbiased log marginal likelihood estimation for latent variable models.
problem Biased estimates of log marginal likelihood in latent variable models.
method Randomized truncation of infinite series for unbiased estimation.
result Models trained with SUMO give better test-set likelihoods than standard methods.
Unbiased methods for alpha-divergence minimization struggle in high dimensions.
problem The difficulty of unbiased alpha-divergence minimization in high dimensions.
method Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) analysis of gradient estimators.
result The SNR of the gradient estimator worsens exponentially with dimensionality.
Unbiased gradient estimation for Markov chains
problem Estimating gradients of stationary means in Markov chains
method Propose new unbiased estimators
result Improves efficiency for slow mixing Markov chains
New unbiased gradient estimators for complex optimization problems.
problem Unbiased and variance-limited gradient estimation for conditional stochastic optimization.
method Developed multilevel Monte Carlo gradient estimators for conditional stochastic optimization problems.
result Unbiased and finite variance gradient estimators for conditional stochastic optimization problems.
Sparse regression models are increasingly prevalent due to their ease of interpretability and superior out-of-sample performance. However, the exact model of sparse regression with an ℓ0 constraint restricting the support of the estimators is a challenging (\NP-hard) non-convex optimization problem. In this paper…
In this paper, we introduce a new approach to constructing unbiased estimators when computing expectations of path functionals associated with stochastic differential equations (SDEs). Our randomization idea is closely related to multi-level Monte Carlo and provides a simple mechanism for constructing a finite variance…
Extends unbiased simulation method to Asian options.
problem Simulating path-dependent dynamics for Asian options.
method Extension of unbiased simulation method for SDEs to path-dependent dynamics.
result Extension applies to numerical resolution of path-dependent PDEs.
Developed unbiased estimators for Heston model with stochastic interest rates.
problem Estimating the Heston model with stochastic interest rates.
method Combined unbiased estimators with the Heston model and developed a semi-exact log-Euler scheme.
result Convergence rate of O(h) in the L2 norm for a wide range of models. New method for unbiased regression reduces excess risk.
problem Least squares regression with optimal solution and Hessian matrix.
method Averaged stochastic gradient descent with time-average estimator.
result Unbiased estimator with O(1/k) expected excess risk.
Computing partition functions, the normalizing constants of probability distributions, is often hard. Variants of importance sampling give unbiased estimates of a normalizer Z, however, unbiased estimates of the reciprocal 1/Z are harder to obtain. Unbiased estimates of 1/Z allow Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling of "d…
Optimal Gaussian noise mechanisms achieve nearly optimal error in unbiased mean estimation.
problem Efficiently estimating the mean of high-dimensional data while preserving privacy.
method Differential privacy mechanisms with Gaussian noise, focusing on optimal covariance.
result Gaussian noise mechanisms achieve nearly optimal error among all private unbiased mean estimation mechanisms.
We consider the approximation of expectations with respect to the distribution of a latent Markov process given noisy measurements. This is known as the smoothing problem and is often approached with particle and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. These methods provide consistent but biased estimators when run fo…
This paper tackles unbiased loss functions for multilabel classification with missing labels.
problem Missing labels in multilabel classification tasks, especially in extreme multi-label classification (XMC).
method Derives unbiased estimators for multilabel reductions, including non-decomposable ones, and addresses increased variance with convex upper-bounds.
result Switching to unbiased estimators can alter the bias-variance trade-off and may require stronger regularization.
Stochastic bridges are commonly used to impute missing data with a lower sampling rate to generate data with a higher sampling rate, while preserving key properties of the dynamics involved in an unbiased way. While the generation of Brownian bridges and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck bridges is well understood, unbiased generatio…
New theory of sensitivity for unbiased estimators using Wasserstein geometry.
problem Estimating the instability of estimators under small perturbations.
method Developed a new theory based on Wasserstein geometry, analogous to classical Cramér-Rao theory.
result Wasserstein-Cramér-Rao lower bound for sensitivity of unbiased estimators.
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis is widely used for evaluating diagnostic systems. Recent studies have shown that estimating an area under ROC curve (AUC) with standard cross-validation methods suffers from a large bias. The leave-pair-out (LPO) cross-validation has been shown to correct this bias. Howe…
New method reduces deep learning training costs by approximating vector-jacobian products.
problem Efficiently training deep neural networks with reduced computational and memory costs.
method Randomized, unbiased approximations of vector-jacobian products during backpropagation.
result Validated potential for reducing deep learning training costs through unbiased estimates.
Recent neural network and language models rely on softmax distributions with an extremely large number of categories. Since calculating the softmax normalizing constant in this context is prohibitively expensive, there is a growing literature of efficiently computable but biased estimates of the softmax. In this paper …