arXiv:2605.06819cs.LG2026-05被引 2

研究大模型生成过程的在线学习理论,揭示中间步骤信息如何影响学习效率。

A Theory of Online Learning with Autoregressive Chain-of-Thought Reasoning

  • 提出两种反馈模式:仅看最终输出,或观察完整生成轨迹。
  • 在仅末尾反馈下,错误次数随生成步数最多对数增长,且不可避免。
  • 若能看到全过程,错误次数与生成步数无关,适合高精度推理场景。

自回归生成是大型语言模型的核心机制,可视为对下一个词生成器的重复应用:从输入字符串(提示)开始,经过 $M$ 步生成,取最后生成的词作为输出。Joshi 等(2025)提出了一个用于研究该过程输入-输出映射可学习性的 PAC 框架。本文发展了其在线学习的类比,关注未知下一个词生成器所诱导的最终输出的学习错误界。我们区分两种反馈形式:在端到端模型中,每轮仅观察 $M$ 步自回归后生成的最终词;在思维链模型中,额外提供完整的 $M$ 步生成轨迹。目标是理解最优错误界如何依赖于生成时长 $M$,以及观察中间步骤能否降低这种依赖。主要结果表明,自回归在线学习的理论呈现出与 [Hanneke et al., 2026] 统计框架相似的定性图像,但对 $M$ 的依赖尺度不同。在端到端模型中,我们证明了错误界关于 $M$ 的可能增长速率构成一个分类:基本可在常数与对数之间任意变化。我们进一步证明该对数上限不可避免。在思维链模型中,获得完整轨迹可完全消除对 $M$ 的依赖。我们还分析了自回归线性阈值类,给出了最优错误界,并建立了统计设定下的新下界。过程中解决了 [Joshi et al., 2025] 留下的若干开放问题。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Autoregressive generation lies at the heart of the mechanism of large language models. It can be viewed as the repeated application of a next-token generator: starting from an input string (prompt), the generator is applied for $M$ steps, and the last generated token is taken as the final output. [Joshi et al., 2025] proposed a PAC model for studying the learnability of the input-output maps arising from this process. We develop an online analogue of this framework, focusing on the mistake bound of learning the final output induced by an unknown next-token generator. We distinguish between two forms of feedback. In the End-to-End model, after each round the learner observes only the final token produced after $M$ autoregressive steps. In the Chain-of-Thought model, the learner is additionally shown the entire $M$-step trajectory. Our goal is to understand how the optimal mistake bound depends on the generation horizon $M$, and to what extent observing intermediate tokens can reduce this dependence. Our main results show that the online theory of autoregressive learning exhibits a qualitative picture analogous to the statistical one found by [Hanneke et al., 2026], but with a different scale of dependence on the generation horizon. In the End-to-End model, we prove a taxonomy of possible mistake-bound growth rates in the generation horizon $M$: essentially any rate between constant and logarithmic can arise. We further show that this logarithmic ceiling is unavoidable. In the Chain-of-Thought model, we show that access to the full generated trajectory eliminates the dependence on $M$ altogether. We also analyze autoregressive linear threshold classes, and prove optimal mistake bounds, as well as a new lower bound for the statistical setting. Along the way, our results resolve several questions left open by [Joshi et al., 2025].

在线学习自回归思维链理论分析

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