Reviewerly/exHarmony huggingface dataset:
Zero-Shot Reasoning: Personalized Content Generation Without the Cold  Start Problem

Authors:
raw_author_name: Hafnar, Davor
raw_author_name: Demšar, Jure

Abstract: Procedural content generation uses algorithmic techniques to create large amounts of new content for games at much lower production costs. In newer approaches, procedural content generation utilizes machine learning. However, these methods usually require expensive collection of large amounts of data, as well as the development and training of fairly complex learning models, which can be both extremely time-consuming and expensive. The core of our research is to explore whether we can lower the barrier to the use of personalized procedural content generation through a more practical and generalizable approach with large language models. Matching game content with player preferences benefits both players, who enjoy the game more, and developers, who increasingly depend on players enjoying the game before being able to monetize it. Therefore, this paper presents a novel approach to achieving personalization by using large language models to propose levels based on the gameplay data continuously collected from individual players. We compared the levels generated using our approach with levels generated with more traditional procedural generation techniques. Our easily reproducible method has proven viable in a production setting and outperformed levels generated by traditional methods in the probability that a player will not quit the game mid-level.
A privacy-preserving, distributed and cooperative FCM-based learning  approach for Cancer Research

Authors:
raw_author_name: Salmeron, Jose L.
raw_author_name: Arévalo, Irina

Abstract: Distributed Artificial Intelligence is attracting interest day by day. In this paper, the authors introduce an innovative methodology for distributed learning of Particle Swarm Optimization-based Fuzzy Cognitive Maps in a privacy-preserving way. The authors design a training scheme for collaborative FCM learning that offers data privacy compliant with the current regulation. This method is applied to a cancer detection problem, proving that the performance of the model is improved by the Federated Learning process, and obtaining similar results to the ones that can be found in the literature.
A chaotic maps-based privacy-preserving distributed deep learning for  incomplete and Non-IID datasets

Authors:
raw_author_name: Arévalo, Irina
raw_author_name: Salmeron, Jose L.

Abstract: Federated Learning is a machine learning approach that enables the training of a deep learning model among several participants with sensitive data that wish to share their own knowledge without compromising the privacy of their data. In this research, the authors employ a secured Federated Learning method with an additional layer of privacy and proposes a method for addressing the non-IID challenge. Moreover, differential privacy is compared with chaotic-based encryption as layer of privacy. The experimental approach assesses the performance of the federated deep learning model with differential privacy using both IID and non-IID data. In each experiment, the Federated Learning process improves the average performance metrics of the deep neural network, even in the case of non-IID data.
Strategic Vote Timing in Online Elections With Public Tallies

Authors:
raw_author_name: Yaish, Aviv
raw_author_name: Abramova, Svetlana
raw_author_name: Böhme, Rainer

Abstract: We study the effect of public tallies on online elections, in a setting where voting is costly and voters are allowed to strategically time their votes. The strategic importance of choosing \emph{when} to vote arises when votes are public, such as in online event scheduling polls (e.\,g., Doodle), or in blockchain governance mechanisms. In particular, there is a tension between voting early to influence future votes and waiting to observe interim results and avoid voting costs if the outcome has already been decided. Our study draws on empirical findings showing that ``temporal'' bandwagon effects occur when interim results are revealed to the electorate: late voters are more likely to vote for leading candidates. To capture this phenomenon, we analyze a novel model where the electorate consists of informed voters who have a preferred candidate, and uninformed swing voters who can be swayed according to the interim outcome at the time of voting. In our main results, we prove the existence of equilibria where both early and late voting occur with a positive probability, and we characterize conditions that lead to the appearance of ``last minute'' voting behavior, where all informed voters vote late.
Mixture of Experts for Network Optimization: A Large Language  Model-enabled Approach

Authors:
raw_author_name: Du, Hongyang
raw_author_name: Liu, Guangyuan
raw_author_name: Lin, Yijing
raw_author_name: Niyato, Dusit
raw_author_name: Kang, Jiawen
raw_author_name: Xiong, Zehui
raw_author_name: Kim, Dong In

Abstract: Optimizing various wireless user tasks poses a significant challenge for networking systems because of the expanding range of user requirements. Despite advancements in Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), the need for customized optimization tasks for individual users complicates developing and applying numerous DRL models, leading to substantial computation resource and energy consumption and can lead to inconsistent outcomes. To address this issue, we propose a novel approach utilizing a Mixture of Experts (MoE) framework, augmented with Large Language Models (LLMs), to analyze user objectives and constraints effectively, select specialized DRL experts, and weigh each decision from the participating experts. Specifically, we develop a gate network to oversee the expert models, allowing a collective of experts to tackle a wide array of new tasks. Furthermore, we innovatively substitute the traditional gate network with an LLM, leveraging its advanced reasoning capabilities to manage expert model selection for joint decisions. Our proposed method reduces the need to train new DRL models for each unique optimization problem, decreasing energy consumption and AI model implementation costs. The LLM-enabled MoE approach is validated through a general maze navigation task and a specific network service provider utility maximization task, demonstrating its effectiveness and practical applicability in optimizing complex networking systems.
An Approximation Based Theory of Linear Regression

Authors:
raw_author_name: Davies, Laurie

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to provide a theory linear regression based entirely on approximations. It will be argued that the standard linear regression model based theory whether frequentist or Bayesian has failed and that this failure is due to an 'assumed (revealed?) truth' (John Tukey) attitude to the models. This is reflected in the language of statistical inference which involves a concept of truth, for example efficiency, consistency and hypothesis testing. The motivation behind this paper was to remove the word `true' from the theory and practice of linear regression and to replace it by approximation. The approximations considered are the least squares approximations. An approximation is called valid if it contains no irrelevant covariates. This is operationalized using the concept of a Gaussian P-value which is the probability that pure Gaussian noise is better in term of least squares than the covariate. The precise definition given in the paper is intuitive and requires only four simple equations. Given this a valid approximation is one where all the Gaussian P-values are less than a threshold $p0$ specified by the statistician, in this paper with the default value 0.01. This approximations approach is not only much simpler it is overwhelmingly better than the standard model based approach. This will be demonstrated using six real data sets, four from high dimensional regression and two from vector autoregression. Both the simplicity and the superiority of Gaussian P-values derive from their universal exactness and validity. This is in complete contrast to standard F P-values which are valid only for carefully designed simulations. The paper contains excerpts from an unpublished paper by John Tukey entitled `Issues relevant to an honest account of data-based inference partially in the light of Laurie Davies's paper'.
Improving the efficiency of GP-GOMEA for higher-arity operators

Authors:
raw_author_name: Schlender, Thalea
raw_author_name: Malafaia, Mafalda
raw_author_name: Alderliesten, Tanja
raw_author_name: Bosman, Peter A. N.

Abstract: Deploying machine learning models into sensitive domains in our society requires these models to be explainable. Genetic Programming (GP) can offer a way to evolve inherently interpretable expressions. GP-GOMEA is a form of GP that has been found particularly effective at evolving expressions that are accurate yet of limited size and, thus, promote interpretability. Despite this strength, a limitation of GP-GOMEA is template-based. This negatively affects its scalability regarding the arity of operators that can be used, since with increasing operator arity, an increasingly large part of the template tends to go unused. In this paper, we therefore propose two enhancements to GP-GOMEA: (i) semantic subtree inheritance, which performs additional variation steps that consider the semantic context of a subtree, and (ii) greedy child selection, which explicitly considers parts of the template that in standard GP-GOMEA remain unused. We compare different versions of GP-GOMEA regarding search enhancements on a set of continuous and discontinuous regression problems, with varying tree depths and operator sets. Experimental results show that both proposed search enhancements have a generally positive impact on the performance of GP-GOMEA, especially when the set of operators to choose from is large and contains higher-arity operators.
Recommendations for Baselines and Benchmarking Approximate Gaussian  Processes

Authors:
raw_author_name: Ober, Sebastian W.
raw_author_name: Artemev, Artem
raw_author_name: van der Wilk, Mark

Abstract: Gaussian processes (GPs) are a mature and widely-used component of the ML toolbox. One of their desirable qualities is automatic hyperparameter selection, which allows for training without user intervention. However, in many realistic settings, approximations are typically needed, which typically do require tuning. We argue that this requirement for tuning complicates evaluation, which has led to a lack of a clear recommendations on which method should be used in which situation. To address this, we make recommendations for comparing GP approximations based on a specification of what a user should expect from a method. In addition, we develop a training procedure for the variational method of Titsias [2009] that leaves no choices to the user, and show that this is a strong baseline that meets our specification. We conclude that benchmarking according to our suggestions gives a clearer view of the current state of the field, and uncovers problems that are still open that future papers should address.
Beyond Kalman Filters: Deep Learning-Based Filters for Improved Object  Tracking

Authors:
raw_author_name: Tadić, Predrag
raw_author_name: Petrović, Andrija
raw_author_name: Nikolić, Mladen

Abstract: Traditional tracking-by-detection systems typically employ Kalman filters (KF) for state estimation. However, the KF requires domain-specific design choices and it is ill-suited to handling non-linear motion patterns. To address these limitations, we propose two innovative data-driven filtering methods. Our first method employs a Bayesian filter with a trainable motion model to predict an object's future location and combines its predictions with observations gained from an object detector to enhance bounding box prediction accuracy. Moreover, it dispenses with most domain-specific design choices characteristic of the KF. The second method, an end-to-end trainable filter, goes a step further by learning to correct detector errors, further minimizing the need for domain expertise. Additionally, we introduce a range of motion model architectures based on Recurrent Neural Networks, Neural Ordinary Differential Equations, and Conditional Neural Processes, that are combined with the proposed filtering methods. Our extensive evaluation across multiple datasets demonstrates that our proposed filters outperform the traditional KF in object tracking, especially in the case of non-linear motion patterns -- the use case our filters are best suited to. We also conduct noise robustness analysis of our filters with convincing positive results. We further propose a new cost function for associating observations with tracks. Our tracker, which incorporates this new association cost with our proposed filters, outperforms the conventional SORT method and other motion-based trackers in multi-object tracking according to multiple metrics on motion-rich DanceTrack and SportsMOT datasets.
Revisiting Recurrent Reinforcement Learning with Memory Monoids

Authors:
raw_author_name: Morad, Steven
raw_author_name: Lu, Chris
raw_author_name: Kortvelesy, Ryan
raw_author_name: Liwicki, Stephan
raw_author_name: Foerster, Jakob
raw_author_name: Prorok, Amanda

Abstract: In RL, memory models such as RNNs and transformers address Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) by mapping trajectories to latent Markov states. Neither model scales particularly well to long sequences, especially compared to an emerging class of memory models sometimes called linear recurrent models. We discover that the recurrent update of these models is a monoid, leading us to formally define a novel memory monoid framework. We revisit the traditional approach to batching in recurrent RL, highlighting both theoretical and empirical deficiencies. Leveraging the properties of memory monoids, we propose a new batching method that improves sample efficiency, increases the return, and simplifies the implementation of recurrent loss functions in RL.
Expressivity of parameterized quantum circuits for generative modeling  of continuous multivariate distributions

Authors:
raw_author_name: Barthe, Alice
raw_author_name: Grossi, Michele
raw_author_name: Vallecorsa, Sofia
raw_author_name: Tura, Jordi
raw_author_name: Dunjko, Vedran

Abstract: Parameterized quantum circuits have been extensively used as the basis for machine learning models in regression, classification, and generative tasks. For supervised learning their expressivity has been thoroughly investigated and several universality properties have been proven. However, in the case of quantum generative modeling, the situation is less clear, especially when the task is to model distributions over continuous variables. In this work, we focus on expectation value sampling-based models; models where random variables are sampled classically, encoded with a parametrized quantum circuit, and the expectation value of fixed observables is measured and returned as a sample. We prove the universality of such variational quantum algorithms for the generation of multivariate distributions. Additionally, we provide a detailed analysis of these models, including fundamental upper bounds on the dimensionality of the distributions these models can represent. We further present a tight trade-off result connecting the needed number of measurements and qubit numbers in order to have universality for a desired dimension of output distribution within an error tolerance. Finally we also show that the data encoding strategy relates to the so-called polynomial chaos expansion, which is an analog of the Fourier expansion. Our results may help guide the design of future quantum circuits in generative modeling tasks.
Predictors from causal features do not generalize better to new domains

Authors:
raw_author_name: Hardt, Moritz

Abstract: We study how well machine learning models trained on causal features generalize across domains. We consider 16 prediction tasks on tabular datasets covering applications in health, employment, education, social benefits, and politics. Each dataset comes with multiple domains, allowing us to test how well a model trained in one domain performs in another. For each prediction task, we select features that have a causal influence on the target of prediction. Our goal is to test the hypothesis that models trained on causal features generalize better across domains. Without exception, we find that predictors using all available features, regardless of causality, have better in-domain and out-of-domain accuracy than predictors using causal features. Moreover, even the absolute drop in accuracy from one domain to the other is no better for causal predictors than for models that use all features. If the goal is to generalize to new domains, practitioners might as well train the best possible model on all available features.
Performative Reinforcement Learning in Gradually Shifting Environments

Authors:
raw_author_name: Triantafyllou, Stelios
raw_author_name: Mandal, Debmalya
raw_author_name: Radanovic, Goran

Abstract: When Reinforcement Learning (RL) agents are deployed in practice, they might impact their environment and change its dynamics. Ongoing research attempts to formally model this phenomenon and to analyze learning algorithms in these models. To this end, we propose a framework where the current environment depends on the deployed policy as well as its previous dynamics. This is a generalization of Performative RL (PRL) [Mandal et al., 2023]. Unlike PRL, our framework allows to model scenarios where the environment gradually adjusts to a deployed policy. We adapt two algorithms from the performative prediction literature to our setting and propose a novel algorithm called Mixed Delayed Repeated Retraining (MDRR). We provide conditions under which these algorithms converge and compare them using three metrics: number of retrainings, approximation guarantee, and number of samples per deployment. Unlike previous approaches, MDRR combines samples from multiple deployments in its training. This makes MDRR particularly suitable for scenarios where the environment's response strongly depends on its previous dynamics, which are common in practice. We experimentally compare the algorithms using a simulation-based testbed and our results show that MDRR converges significantly faster than previous approaches.
Utilizing GANs for Fraud Detection: Model Training with Synthetic  Transaction Data

Authors:
raw_author_name: Zhu, Mengran
raw_author_name: Gong, Yulu
raw_author_name: Xiang, Yafei
raw_author_name: Yu, Hanyi

Abstract: Anomaly detection is a critical challenge across various research domains, aiming to identify instances that deviate from normal data distributions. This paper explores the application of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) in fraud detection, comparing their advantages with traditional methods. GANs, a type of Artificial Neural Network (ANN), have shown promise in modeling complex data distributions, making them effective tools for anomaly detection. The paper systematically describes the principles of GANs and their derivative models, emphasizing their application in fraud detection across different datasets. And by building a collection of adversarial verification graphs, we will effectively prevent fraud caused by bots or automated systems and ensure that the users in the transaction are real. The objective of the experiment is to design and implement a fake face verification code and fraud detection system based on Generative Adversarial network (GANs) algorithm to enhance the security of the transaction process.The study demonstrates the potential of GANs in enhancing transaction security through deep learning techniques.
Explaining Kernel Clustering via Decision Trees

Authors:
raw_author_name: Vankadara, Leena Chennuru
raw_author_name: Ghoshdastidar, Debarghya

Abstract: Despite the growing popularity of explainable and interpretable machine learning, there is still surprisingly limited work on inherently interpretable clustering methods. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in explaining the classic k-means algorithm, leading to efficient algorithms that approximate k-means clusters using axis-aligned decision trees. However, interpretable variants of k-means have limited applicability in practice, where more flexible clustering methods are often needed to obtain useful partitions of the data. In this work, we investigate interpretable kernel clustering, and propose algorithms that construct decision trees to approximate the partitions induced by kernel k-means, a nonlinear extension of k-means. We further build on previous work on explainable k-means and demonstrate how a suitable choice of features allows preserving interpretability without sacrificing approximation guarantees on the interpretable model.
Social Reward: Evaluating and Enhancing Generative AI through  Million-User Feedback from an Online Creative Community

Authors:
raw_author_name: Wang, Zhangyang
raw_author_name: Shi, Humphrey

Abstract: Social reward as a form of community recognition provides a strong source of motivation for users of online platforms to engage and contribute with content. The recent progress of text-conditioned image synthesis has ushered in a collaborative era where AI empowers users to craft original visual artworks seeking community validation. Nevertheless, assessing these models in the context of collective community preference introduces distinct challenges. Existing evaluation methods predominantly center on limited size user studies guided by image quality and prompt alignment. This work pioneers a paradigm shift, unveiling Social Reward - an innovative reward modeling framework that leverages implicit feedback from social network users engaged in creative editing of generated images. We embark on an extensive journey of dataset curation and refinement, drawing from Picsart: an online visual creation and editing platform, yielding a first million-user-scale dataset of implicit human preferences for user-generated visual art named Picsart Image-Social. Our analysis exposes the shortcomings of current metrics in modeling community creative preference of text-to-image models' outputs, compelling us to introduce a novel predictive model explicitly tailored to address these limitations. Rigorous quantitative experiments and user study show that our Social Reward model aligns better with social popularity than existing metrics. Furthermore, we utilize Social Reward to fine-tune text-to-image models, yielding images that are more favored by not only Social Reward, but also other established metrics. These findings highlight the relevance and effectiveness of Social Reward in assessing community appreciation for AI-generated artworks, establishing a closer alignment with users' creative goals: creating popular visual art. Codes can be accessed at https://github.com/Picsart-AI-Research/Social-Reward
On Computing Plans with Uniform Action Costs

Authors:
raw_author_name: Pozanco, Alberto
raw_author_name: Borrajo, Daniel
raw_author_name: Veloso, Manuela

Abstract: In many real-world planning applications, agents might be interested in finding plans whose actions have costs that are as uniform as possible. Such plans provide agents with a sense of stability and predictability, which are key features when humans are the agents executing plans suggested by planning tools. This paper adapts three uniformity metrics to automated planning, and introduce planning-based compilations that allow to lexicographically optimize sum of action costs and action costs uniformity. Experimental results both in well-known and novel planning benchmarks show that the reformulated tasks can be effectively solved in practice to generate uniform plans.