Learning Management
Better Full-Matrix Regret via Parameter-Free Online Learning
We provide online convex optimization algorithms that guarantee improved fullmatrix regret bounds. These algorithms extend prior work in several ways. First, we seamlessly allow for the incorporation of constraints without requiring unknown oracle-tuning for any learning rate parameters. Second, we improve the regret analysis of the full-matrix AdaGrad algorithm by suggesting a better learning rate value and showing how to tune the learning rate to this value on-the-fly. Third, all our bounds are obtained via a general framework for constructing regret bounds that depend on an arbitrary sequence of norms.
Ultrafast On-chip Online Learning via Spline Locality in Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks
Hoang, Duc, Gupta, Aarush, Harris, Philip
Ultrafast online learning is essential for high-frequency systems, such as controls for quantum computing and nuclear fusion, where adaptation must occur on sub-microsecond timescales. Meeting these requirements demands low-latency, fixed-precision computation under strict memory constraints, a regime in which conventional Multi-Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) are both inefficient and numerically unstable. We identify key properties of Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (KANs) that align with these constraints. Specifically, we show that: (i) KAN updates exploiting B-spline locality are sparse, enabling superior on-chip resource scaling, and (ii) KANs are inherently robust to fixed-point quantization. By implementing fixed-point online training on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), a representative platform for on-chip computation, we demonstrate that KAN-based online learners are significantly more efficient and expressive than MLPs across a range of low-latency and resource-constrained tasks. To our knowledge, this work is the first to demonstrate model-free online learning at sub-microsecond latencies.
Adaptive Benign Overfitting (ABO): Overparameterized RLS for Online Learning in Non-stationary Time-series
Mijares, Luis Ontaneda, Firoozye, Nick
Overparameterized models have recently challenged conventional learning theory by exhibiting improved generalization beyond the interpolation limit, a phenomenon known as benign overfitting. This work introduces Adaptive Benign Overfitting (ABO), extending the recursive least-squares (RLS) framework to this regime through a numerically stable formulation based on orthogonal-triangular updates. A QR-based exponentially weighted RLS (QR-EWRLS) algorithm is introduced, combining random Fourier feature mappings with forgetting-factor regularization to enable online adaptation under non-stationary conditions. The orthogonal decomposition prevents the numerical divergence associated with covariance-form RLS while retaining adaptability to evolving data distributions. Experiments on nonlinear synthetic time series confirm that the proposed approach maintains bounded residuals and stable condition numbers while reproducing the double-descent behavior characteristic of overparameterized models. Applications to forecasting foreign exchange and electricity demand show that ABO is highly accurate (comparable to baseline kernel methods) while achieving speed improvements of between 20 and 40 percent. The results provide a unified view linking adaptive filtering, kernel approximation, and benign overfitting within a stable online learning framework.
Partial Feedback Online Learning
Shao, Shihao, Fang, Cong, Lin, Zhouchen, Tao, Dacheng
We study partial-feedback online learning, where each instance admits a set of correct labels, but the learner only observes one correct label per round; any prediction within the correct set is counted as correct. This model captures settings such as language generation, where multiple responses may be valid but data provide only a single reference. We give a near-complete characterization of minimax regret for both deterministic and randomized learners in the set-realizable regime, i.e., in the regime where sublinear regret is generally attainable. For deterministic learners, we introduce the Partial-Feedback Littlestone dimension (PFLdim) and show it precisely governs learnability and minimax regret; technically, PFLdim cannot be defined via the standard version space, requiring a new collection version space viewpoint and an auxiliary dimension used only in the proof. We further develop the Partial-Feedback Measure Shattering dimension (PMSdim) to obtain tight bounds for randomized learners. We identify broad conditions ensuring inseparability between deterministic and randomized learnability (e.g., finite Helly number or nested-inclusion label structure), and extend the argument to set-valued online learning, resolving an open question of Raman et al. [2024b]. Finally, we show a sharp separation from weaker realistic and agnostic variants: outside set realizability, the problem can become information-theoretically intractable, with linear regret possible even for $|H|=2$. This highlights the need for fundamentally new, noise-sensitive complexity measures to meaningfully characterize learnability beyond set realizability.