arXiv Statistics ML

On the Asymptotic Inadmissibility of Double Machine Learning Estimators Under Structure-Agnostic Models

The paper investigates Double Machine Learning (DML) estimators under structure‑agnostic (SA) models, which assume the data‑generating law lies within a neighborhood of fixed machine‑learning estimates. It shows that for two of three studied functionals—the quadratic functional in the Gaussian sequence model and the quadratic density integral functional—the DML estimators are asymptotically inadmissible, being dominated by second‑order empirical higher‑order influence function (HOIF) estimators. For the third functional, the expected conditional covariance, both DML and HOIF estimators remain minimax but neither dominates the other.

arXiv Machine Learning
Sep 10

Sharp Structure-Agnostic Minimax Risk for Partial Linear Models

arXiv:2609. 07997v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We characterize the sharp structure-agnostic minimax risk for coefficient estimation in the partial linear model when the outcome and treatment nuisances are learned by two distinct black-box learners, which resolves the open problem in double machine learning posed by Gu (2025).

By Haichen Hu, David Simchi-Levi
arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 7

Sample-Optimal Estimation of the Fr\'echet Inception Distance

The paper investigates the sample complexity of estimating the Fréchet Inception Distance (FID) between high‑dimensional Gaussian distributions when one distribution is known. It establishes tight bias and variance bounds for the empirical plug‑in estimator, shows how higher‑order extrapolation reduces bias, and introduces a new Relative Taylor Debiasing (RTD) algorithm that achieves optimal sample complexity. Experiments on synthetic data and ImageNet confirm the theoretical predictions and demonstrate RTD’s superior accuracy with limited samples.

By Ziyun Chen, Jerry Li, Kevin Tian, Yusong Zhu
arXiv Statistics ML
Aug 25

Model-Agnostic Covariate-Assisted Inference on Partially Identified Causal Effects

The paper introduces a model‑agnostic inference framework for partially identified causal effects that leverages covariate information without requiring discrete covariates or accurate conditional distribution estimates. Using duality theory for optimal transport, the method delivers uniformly valid inference in randomized experiments, is doubly robust in observational settings, achieves asymptotic unbiasedness when nuisance parameters converge semiparametrically, and allows multiplier‑bootstrap selection of covariates and models while remaining computationally efficient. Empirical applications show the approach consistently narrows identified sets and confidence intervals without imposing extra structural assumptions.

By Wenlong Ji, Lihua Lei, Asher Spector
arXiv Machine Learning
Oct 22

Approximate Solomonoff Induction: On the Robustness of Learned Universal Predictors

The paper investigates how well practical machine‑learning algorithms approximate Solomonoff’s universal predictor when trained by minimizing log‑loss over diverse datasets. It establishes tight bounds on the worst‑case increase in prediction error caused by approximating the Bayesian mixture predictor, showing that while the excess error can be large in low‑prior environments, it remains bounded on average and under distribution shifts. The authors also extend their analysis to finite‑sample settings relevant to neural networks and Transformers.

By Qian Li, Shang-Hua Teng
arXiv AI
Aug 12

On Solomonoff Induction in Large Language Models and the Limits of Self-Improving: The Singularity Is Not Near Without Symbolic Model Synthesis

arXiv:2601. 05280v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: On the one hand, the question of whether large language models (LLMs) are Solomonoff induction estimators has become an explicit question at the intersection of Algorithmic Information Theory (AIT) and Machine Learning (ML) of great interest.

By Hector Zenil
arXiv Machine Learning
Jul 7

Learning with the Nash-Sutcliffe loss

arXiv:2603. 00968v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency ($\text{NSE}$) is a widely used, positively oriented relative measure for evaluating forecasts across multiple time series.

By Hristos Tyralis, Georgia Papacharalampous