大模型预训练后能在分布偏移下保持最优学习速度,对难易任务自适应。
Optimal In-context Adaptivity and Distributional Robustness of Transformers
- 基于混合分布预训练,通过χ²散度约束测试分布范围。
- 在随机平滑与有效维度下,收敛速度达到该难度下的理论最优。
- 比最小最大下界更优,适合研究模型鲁棒性与自适应能力者。
我们研究Transformer在上下文学习中的表现,其在混合分布π=∑λₐπₐ上预训练,其中每个分量πₐ对应特定难度α的任务分布。目标是分析模型在测试分布μ(固定难度β,且相对于π₆的χ²散度不超过κ)上的性能。针对具有随机平滑性的非参数回归和多指标模型(含随机平滑与有效维度),我们证明:足够数据预训练的大Transformer,在χ²散度球内所有测试分布μ上,均能达到难度β对应的最优收敛率。因此,模型能根据任务难易自动加速,且对测试时的分布偏移具有鲁棒性。进一步证明,即使估计器知晓测试分布μ,其期望风险的收敛率也无法超过本模型,从而提供比最小最大下界更合适的最优性保证。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
We study in-context learning problems where a Transformer is pretrained on tasks drawn from a mixture distribution $π=\sum_{α\in\mathcal{A}} λ_α π_α$, called the pretraining prior, in which each mixture component $π_α$ is a distribution on tasks of a specific difficulty level indexed by $α$. Our goal is to understand the performance of the pretrained Transformer when evaluated on a different test distribution $μ$, consisting of tasks of fixed difficulty $β\in\mathcal{A}$, and with potential distribution shift relative to $π_β$, subject to the chi-squared divergence $χ^2(μ,π_β)$ being at most $κ$. In particular, we consider nonparametric regression problems with random smoothness, and multi-index models with both random smoothness and random effective dimension. We prove that a large Transformer pretrained on sufficient data achieves the optimal rate of convergence corresponding to the difficulty level $β$, uniformly over test distributions $μ$ in the chi-squared divergence ball. Thus, the pretrained Transformer is able to achieve faster rates of convergence on easier tasks and is robust to distribution shift at test time. Finally, we prove that even if an estimator had access to the test distribution $μ$, the convergence rate of its expected risk over $μ$ could not be faster than that of our pretrained Transformers, thereby providing a more appropriate optimality guarantee than minimax lower bounds.
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