1.2RMDec 31, 2025
Robust Bayesian Dynamic Programming for On-policy Risk-sensitive Reinforcement LearningShanyu Han, Yangbo He, Yang Liu
We propose a novel framework for risk-sensitive reinforcement learning (RSRL) that incorporates robustness against transition uncertainty. We define two distinct yet coupled risk measures: an inner risk measure addressing state and cost randomness and an outer risk measure capturing transition dynamics uncertainty. Our framework unifies and generalizes most existing RL frameworks by permitting general coherent risk measures for both inner and outer risk measures. Within this framework, we construct a risk-sensitive robust Markov decision process (RSRMDP), derive its Bellman equation, and provide error analysis under a given posterior distribution. We further develop a Bayesian Dynamic Programming (Bayesian DP) algorithm that alternates between posterior updates and value iteration. The approach employs an estimator for the risk-based Bellman operator that combines Monte Carlo sampling with convex optimization, for which we prove strong consistency guarantees. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the algorithm converges to a near-optimal policy in the training environment and analyze both the sample complexity and the computational complexity under the Dirichlet posterior and CVaR. Finally, we validate our approach through two numerical experiments. The results exhibit excellent convergence properties while providing intuitive demonstrations of its advantages in both risk-sensitivity and robustness. Empirically, we further demonstrate the advantages of the proposed algorithm through an application on option hedging.
3.6CVDec 30, 2025
Think Before You Move: Latent Motion Reasoning for Text-to-Motion GenerationYijie Qian, Juncheng Wang, Yuxiang Feng et al.
Current state-of-the-art paradigms predominantly treat Text-to-Motion (T2M) generation as a direct translation problem, mapping symbolic language directly to continuous poses. While effective for simple actions, this System 1 approach faces a fundamental theoretical bottleneck we identify as the Semantic-Kinematic Impedance Mismatch: the inherent difficulty of grounding semantically dense, discrete linguistic intent into kinematically dense, high-frequency motion data in a single shot. In this paper, we argue that the solution lies in an architectural shift towards Latent System 2 Reasoning. Drawing inspiration from Hierarchical Motor Control in cognitive science, we propose Latent Motion Reasoning (LMR) that reformulates generation as a two-stage Think-then-Act decision process. Central to LMR is a novel Dual-Granularity Tokenizer that disentangles motion into two distinct manifolds: a compressed, semantically rich Reasoning Latent for planning global topology, and a high-frequency Execution Latent for preserving physical fidelity. By forcing the model to autoregressively reason (plan the coarse trajectory) before it moves (instantiates the frames), we effectively bridge the ineffability gap between language and physics. We demonstrate LMR's versatility by implementing it for two representative baselines: T2M-GPT (discrete) and MotionStreamer (continuous). Extensive experiments show that LMR yields non-trivial improvements in both semantic alignment and physical plausibility, validating that the optimal substrate for motion planning is not natural language, but a learned, motion-aligned concept space. Codes and demos can be found in \hyperlink{https://chenhaoqcdyq.github.io/LMR/}{https://chenhaoqcdyq.github.io/LMR/}
3.6IRDec 30, 2025
MaRCA: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning for Dynamic Computation Allocation in Large-Scale Recommender SystemsWan Jiang, Xinyi Zang, Yudong Zhao et al.
Modern recommender systems face significant computational challenges due to growing model complexity and traffic scale, making efficient computation allocation critical for maximizing business revenue. Existing approaches typically simplify multi-stage computation resource allocation, neglecting inter-stage dependencies, thus limiting global optimality. In this paper, we propose MaRCA, a multi-agent reinforcement learning framework for end-to-end computation resource allocation in large-scale recommender systems. MaRCA models the stages of a recommender system as cooperative agents, using Centralized Training with Decentralized Execution (CTDE) to optimize revenue under computation resource constraints. We introduce an AutoBucket TestBench for accurate computation cost estimation, and a Model Predictive Control (MPC)-based Revenue-Cost Balancer to proactively forecast traffic loads and adjust the revenue-cost trade-off accordingly. Since its end-to-end deployment in the advertising pipeline of a leading global e-commerce platform in November 2024, MaRCA has consistently handled hundreds of billions of ad requests per day and has delivered a 16.67% revenue uplift using existing computation resources.