提出统一学习理论框架,用数学工具揭示学习本质。
Man, Machine, and Mathematics

- 从可解问题与参数化方法出发,构建多层级学习模型。
- 提出通用收敛定理,明确学习成功的条件与机制。
- 融合动力系统与物理思想,为学习提供普适分析工具。
非线性模型与优化方法近年来成功应对了大量问题。深学习等少数工具已广泛应用于科学建模、自然语言处理、视觉分析等领域。类似地,物理理论也常以极简基础解释丰富现象。本文探讨是否存在一种稀疏统一框架,用于指导学习、优化与建模领域的研究。我们以广义学习为视角,将学习视为多层次的连贯过程:问题设定、方法选择,以及通过优化动态分析其交互作用。首先提出“可解问题”的精确定义;随后定义“参数化方法”以求解这些问题。目标是建立“通用收敛定理”,描述在何种条件下,所选方法能有效求解问题。结果表明,学习研究可归约为极少数核心思想与工具,其中许多直接源自动力系统理论、几何学与基础物理学。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Nonlinear models and optimization methods have successfully tackled a rapidly growing set of problems in recent years. Indeed, a relatively small toolbox of such models and methods can provide sufficient performance across a large landscape of tasks: deep learning alone has made significant recent contributions in scientific modelling, natural language processing, visual analysis, etc. A similar relationship exists between physical theories and phenomena, where many applications and observations emerge neatly from remarkably minimal foundations. It is natural to wonder if sparse unified frameworks could be built to steer discussion and discovery in the fields concerned with learning, optimization, and modelling. In this work, we posit and examine a possible outline for such a unified theory, interpreting the notion of ''learning'' in a broad sense. In particular, we pursue our goals by viewing learning as an inter-connected process on multiple levels: problem setup, choosing methods, and the analysis of their interplay via imposed optimisation dynamics. We begin by proposing a precise yet versatile definition for ''solvable'' problems. We then define the ''parametrised methods'' by which their solution(s) may be ''learned''. Our goal is to sketch a ''universal convergence theorem'', specifying how and when solvable problems become amenable to the methods chosen for them. We find these constructions reduce the study of learning down to remarkably few ideas and tools - many of which are simply adapted from existing ones in dynamical systems theory, geometry, and fundamental physics.
Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability. PaperDance 不是 arXiv 官方产品;中文卡片由大模型生成,请以原文为准。