首个面向非平稳强化学习的无模型策略梯度算法,解决动态环境下的学习难题。
Natural Policy Gradient for Average Reward Non-Stationary RL
- 基于重启探索与学习率自适应机制设计新算法NS-NAC
- 实现动态后悔上界为 $\tilde{\mathscr O}(|S|^{1/2}|A|^{1/2}Δ_T^{1/6}T^{5/6})$
- 无需预知变化预算,适合实际部署的非平稳环境
我们研究无限时长远期平均奖励设定下的非平稳强化学习问题。建模为具有随时间变化奖励和转移概率的马尔可夫决策过程,变化预算为 $Δ_T$。现有方法多集中于基于模型和值函数的无模型方法,而策略类方法虽在实践中灵活,但在非平稳设置中缺乏理论支持。本文提出并分析首个无模型策略类算法——非平稳自然演员-评论家(NS-NAC),采用基于重启的探索机制以应对环境变化,并将学习率重新解释为自适应因子。此外,提出无需先验知识的参数无关算法BORL-NS-NAC。两种算法均获得动态后悔上界 $\tilde{\mathscr O}(|S|^{1/2}|A|^{1/2}Δ_T^{1/6}T^{5/6})$,其中 $T$ 为时间跨度,$|S|$、$|A|$ 分别为状态和动作空间大小。该分析通过改进自然演员-评论家的李雅普诺夫函数方法,刻画了策略、值函数估计与环境变化同时更新的影响。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
We consider the problem of non-stationary reinforcement learning (RL) in the infinite-horizon average-reward setting. We model it by a Markov Decision Process with time-varying rewards and transition probabilities, with a variation budget of $Δ_T$. Existing non-stationary RL algorithms focus on model-based and model-free value-based methods. Policy-based methods despite their flexibility in practice are not theoretically well understood in non-stationary RL. We propose and analyze the first model-free policy-based algorithm, Non-Stationary Natural Actor-Critic (NS-NAC), a policy gradient method with a restart based exploration for change and a novel interpretation of learning rates as adapting factors. Further, we present a bandit-over-RL based parameter-free algorithm BORL-NS-NAC that does not require prior knowledge of the variation budget $Δ_T$. We present a dynamic regret of $\tilde{\mathscr O}(|S|^{1/2}|A|^{1/2}Δ_T^{1/6}T^{5/6})$ for both algorithms, where $T$ is the time horizon, and $|S|$, $|A|$ are the sizes of the state and action spaces. The regret analysis leverages a novel adaptation of the Lyapunov function analysis of NAC to dynamic environments and characterizes the effects of simultaneous updates in policy, value function estimate and changes in the environment.
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