训练大模型时,贪心策略反而提升决策表现,但易过早放弃探索。
When Greedy Wins: Emergent Exploitation Bias in Meta-Bandit LLM Training
- 用监督微调和强化学习训练模型,设计针对性奖励函数
- 在6倍更长的序列上表现优于预训练模型,接近UCB与汤普森采样
- 模型倾向于过早贪婪利用,适合需高效探索的场景
尽管大语言模型有望成为自主智能体,但在序列决策中常表现出次优探索行为。现有工作通过监督微调(SFT)或强化学习(RL)提升其在经典多臂赌博机任务上的表现。本文通过在专家轨迹上进行SFT,以及使用多种定制化奖励信号(包括减少方差的后悔形奖励、支持最优模仿的算法奖励)训练LLM,发现所得到的智能体显著优于预训练模型,在6倍更长的时间跨度和不同赌博机家族中均表现稳健,性能接近上置信界(UCB)和汤普森采样。行为分析显示,性能提升主要源于更复杂的贪心利用策略:相比预训练模型,RL/SFT智能体更容易早期崩溃,过早终止探索。此外,模仿UCB训练的模型反而学会采用更具侵略性的变体,超越其教师表现。研究揭示了不同训练范式适用场景,并呼吁在评估中引入更细致的奖励设计与探索行为度量。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
While Large Language Models (LLMs) hold promise to become autonomous agents, they often explore suboptimally in sequential decision-making. Recent work has sought to enhance this capability via supervised fine-tuning (SFT) or reinforcement learning (RL), improving regret on the classic multi-armed bandit task. However, it remains unclear how these learning methods shape exploration strategies and how well they generalize. We investigate both paradigms by training LLMs with SFT on expert trajectories and RL with a range of tailored reward signals including a strategic, regret-shaped reward to reduce variance, and an algorithmic reward that enables oracle imitation. The resulting agents outperform pre-trained models and achieve performance comparable to Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) and Thompson Sampling, with robust generalization to 6x longer horizons and across bandit families. Behavioral analysis reveals that gains often stem from more sophisticated but greedier exploitation: RL/SFT agents are more prone to early catastrophic failure than pre-trained models, prematurely abandoning exploration. Furthermore, agents trained to imitate UCB learn to outperform their teacher by adopting more exploitative variants. Our findings clarify when each training paradigm is preferable and advocate tailored reward design and evaluation beyond average regret to promote robust exploratory behavior.
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