Monte-Carlo counterfactual regret minimization (MCCFR) is the state-of-the-art algorithm for solving sequential games that are too large for full tree traversals. It works by using gradient estimates that can be computed via sampling. However, stochastic methods for sequential games have not been investigated extensively beyond MCCFR. In this paper we develop a new framework for developing stochastic regret minimization methods. This framework allows us to use any regret-minimization algorithm, coupled with any gradient estimator. The MCCFR algorithm can be analyzed as a special case of our framework, and this analysis leads to significantly-stronger theoretical on convergence, while simultaneously yielding a simplified proof. Our framework allows us to instantiate several new stochastic methods for solving sequential games. We show extensive experiments on three games, where some variants of our methods outperform MCCFR.

The recent advancements in cloud services, Internet of Things (IoT) and Cellular networks have made cloud computing an attractive option for intelligent traffic signal control (ITSC). Such a method significantly reduces the cost of cables, installation, number of devices used, and maintenance. ITSC systems based on cloud computing lower the cost of the ITSC systems and make it possible to scale the system by utilizing the existing powerful cloud platforms. While such systems have significant potential, one of the critical problems that should be addressed is the network delay. It is well known that network delay in message propagation is hard to prevent, which could potentially degrade the performance of the system or even create safety issues for vehicles at intersections. In this paper, we introduce a new traffic signal control algorithm based on reinforcement learning, which performs well even under severe network delay. The framework introduced in this paper can be helpful for all agent-based systems using remote computing resources where network delay could be a critical concern. Extensive simulation results obtained for different scenarios show the viability of the designed algorithm to cope with network delay.

Learning often occurs sequentially, as opposed to in batch, and from data provided by other agents, as opposed to from a fixed random sampling process. The canonical example of sequential learning from an agent occurs in educational contexts where the other agent is a teacher whose goal is to help the learner. However, instances appear across a wide range of contexts including informal learning, language, and robotics. In contrast with typical contexts considered in machine learning, it is reasonable to expect the cooperative agent to adapt their sampling process after each trial, consistent with the goal of helping the learner learn more quickly. It is also reasonable to expect that learners, in dealing with such cooperative agents, would know the other agent intends to cooperate and incorporate that knowledge when updating their beliefs.

There are several real-world tasks that would benefit from applying multiagent reinforcement learning (MARL) algorithms, including the coordination among self-driving cars. The real world has challenging conditions for multiagent learning systems, such as its partial observable and nonstationary nature. Moreover, if agents must share a limited resource (e.g. network bandwidth) they must all learn how to coordinate resource use. This paper introduces a deep recurrent multiagent actor-critic framework (R-MADDPG) for handling multiagent coordination under partial observable set-tings and limited communication. We investigate recurrency effects on performance and communication use of a team of agents. We demonstrate that the resulting framework learns time dependencies for sharing missing observations, handling resource limitations, and developing different communication patterns among agents.

The principle of compositionality, which enables natural language to represent complex concepts via a structured combination of simpler ones, allows us to convey an open-ended set of messages using a limited vocabulary. If compositionality is indeed a natural property of language, we may expect it to appear in communication protocols that are created by neural agents in language games. In this paper, we propose an effective neural iterated learning (NIL) algorithm that, when applied to interacting neural agents, facilitates the emergence of a more structured type of language. Indeed, these languages provide learning speed advantages to neural agents during training, which can be incrementally amplified via NIL. We provide a probabilistic model of NIL and an explanation of why the advantage of compositional language exist. Our experiments confirm our analysis, and also demonstrate that the emerged languages largely improve the generalizing power of the neural agent communication.

We consider the problem of multiple agents sensing and acting in environments with the goal of maximising their shared utility. In these environments, agents must learn communication protocols in order to share information that is needed to solve the tasks. By embracing deep neural networks, we are able to demonstrate end-to-end learning of protocols in complex environments inspired by communication riddles and multi-agent computer vision problems with partial observability. We propose two approaches for learning in these domains: Reinforced Inter-Agent Learning (RIAL) and Differentiable Inter-Agent Learning (DIAL). The former uses deep Q-learning, while the latter exploits the fact that, during learning, agents can backpropagate error derivatives through (noisy) communication channels.

Adaptation to other initially unknown agents often requires computing an effective counter-strategy. In the Bayesian paradigm, one must find a good counter-strategy to the inferred posterior of the other agents' behavior. In the experts paradigm, one may want to choose experts that are good counter-strategies to the other agents' expected behavior. In this paper we introduce a technique for computing robust counter-strategies for adaptation in multiagent scenarios under a variety of paradigms. The strategies can take advantage of a suspected tendency in the decisions of the other agents, while bounding the worst-case performance when the tendency is not observed.

In partially observable worlds with many agents, nested beliefs are formed when agents simultaneously reason about the unknown state of the world and the beliefs of the other agents. The multi-agent filtering problem is to efficiently represent and update these beliefs through time as the agents act in the world. In this paper, we formally define an infinite sequence of nested beliefs about the state of the world at the current time $t$ and present a filtering algorithm that maintains a finite representation which can be used to generate these beliefs. In some cases, this representation can be updated exactly in constant time; we also present a simple approximation scheme to compact beliefs if they become too complex. In experiments, we demonstrate efficient filtering in a range of multi-agent domains.

Everyday social interactions are heavily influenced by our snap judgments about others goals. Even young infants can infer the goals of intentional agents from observing how they interact with objects and other agents in their environment: e.g., that one agent is helping or hindering anothers attempt to get up a hill or open a box. We propose a model for how people can infer these social goals from actions, based on inverse planning in multiagent Markov decision problems (MDPs). The model infers the goal most likely to be driving an agents behavior by assuming the agent acts approximately rationally given environmental constraints and its model of other agents present. Papers published at the Neural Information Processing Systems Conference.

Future intelligent system will involve very various types of artificial agents, such as mobile robots, smart home infrastructure or personal devices, which share data and collaborate with each other to execute certain tasks.Designing an efficient human-machine interface, which can support users to express needs to the system, supervise the collaboration progress of different entities and evaluate the result, will be challengeable. This paper presents the design and implementation of the human-machine interface of Intelligent Cyber-Physical system (ICPS),which is a multi-entity coordination system of robots and other smart devices in a working environment. ICPS gathers sensory data from entities and then receives users' command, then optimizes plans to utilize the capability of different entities to serve people. Using multi-model interaction methods, e.g. graphical interfaces, speech interaction, gestures and facial expressions, ICPS is able to receive inputs from users through different entities, keep users aware of the progress and accomplish the task efficiently