The paper introduces a new algorithm for the Multi‑Armed Bandit problem that prioritizes selecting the arm with the lowest variance rather than the highest expected reward, using a softmax policy parameterization. It constructs an unbiased estimate of the minimal‑variance objective by drawing two independent samples from the chosen arm and proves convergence under natural conditions. Numerical experiments demonstrate the algorithm’s practical behavior and provide implementation guidance, while also addressing general risk‑aware trade‑offs between average reward and variance.
arXiv:2609. 22690v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We develop an index policy for finite-horizon Bernoulli multi-armed bandits from minimax solutions to single-arm bandit (SAB) problems.
arXiv:2605. 20854v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: We study a stochastic bandit algorithm motivated by retry-aware objectives that value the best outcome among multiple attempts, such as pass@$k$ and max@$k$.
arXiv:2606. 08977v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Motivated by the recency effect in online learning, we study algorithms for single-pass *sliding-window streaming multi-armed bandits (MABs)* in this paper.
arXiv:2605. 31034v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Reinforcement learning with verifiable rewards (RLVR) and group-based policy optimization methods such as GRPO update a stochastic policy by sampling multiple completions per prompt and increasing the policy's probability on those with higher reward, regularized by a KL penalty toward a reference policy.
arXiv:2510. 03798v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The batched multi-armed bandit (MAB) problem, where rewards are collected in batches, is pivotal in applications like clinical trials.
The paper introduces a new approach to safety in contextual bandits with continuous actions, focusing on high‑probability constraints on the realized cost rather than expected cost. It presents the High‑Probability Constrained UCB algorithm, which balances reward exploration with conservative safety estimation, and provides theoretical regret guarantees for linear models and extensions to general function classes. Experiments demonstrate that this realized‑cost safety framework significantly reduces safety violations compared to expected‑cost constrained methods.
The paper introduces a new approach to safety in contextual bandits with continuous actions by enforcing high‑probability constraints on the realized cost rather than on its expectation. It proposes the High‑Probability Constrained UCB algorithm, which balances optimistic reward exploration with pessimistic safety estimation. The authors provide theoretical regret guarantees for linear models and extend the analysis to general function classes, demonstrating experimentally that realized‑cost constraints significantly reduce safety violations compared to expected‑cost baselines.
arXiv:2512. 09850v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: We introduce Conformal Bandits, a novel framework integrating Conformal Prediction (CP) into bandit problems, a classic paradigm for sequential decision-making under uncertainty.
arXiv:2606. 09002v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We study a stochastic multi-armed bandit problem in which the set of available arms expands over time.
arXiv:2606. 00913v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Multi-arm bandit algorithms are increasingly used in online platforms, clinical trials, and social science experiments, but valid statistical inference on their performance remains an open challenge.
arXiv:2608. 01545v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We study the problem of identifying the dominant arm in multi-armed bandits, where the objective is to find the action with the highest probability of exceeding the realized rewards of all other actions.
arXiv:2502. 13467v2 Announce Type: replace Abstract: The $K$-Max combinatorial multi-armed bandit problem arises in applications such as recommendation and distributed decision making, where the reward is determined by the maximum outcome among $K$ selected arms.