We consider the problem of Reinforcement Learning (RL) in a multi-batch setting, also sometimes called growing-batch setting. It consists in successive rounds: at each round, a batch of data is collected with a fixed policy, then the policy may be updated for the next round. In comparison with the more classical online setting, one cannot afford to train and use a bad policy and therefore exploration must be carefully controlled. This is even more dramatic when the batch size is indexed on the past policies performance. In comparison with the mono-batch setting, also called offline setting, one should not be too conservative and keep some form of exploration because it may compromise the asymptotic convergence to an optimal policy.<\/p>\n
In this article, we investigate the desired properties of RL algorithms in the multi-batch setting. Under some minimal assumptions, we show that the population of subjects either depletes or grows geometrically over time. This allows us to characterize conditions under which a safe policy update is preferred, and those conditions may be assessed in-between batches. We conclude the paper by advocating the benefits of using a portfolio of policies, to better control the desired amount of risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We consider the problem of Reinforcement Learning (RL) in a multi-batch setting, also sometimes called growing-batch setting. It consists in successive rounds: at each round, a batch of data is collected with a fixed policy, then the policy may be updated for the next round. 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