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Michael J. Kearns

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42 papers
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42

ICML Conference 2025 Conference Paper

Intersectional Fairness in Reinforcement Learning with Large State and Constraint Spaces

  • Eric Eaton
  • Marcel Hussing
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Aaron Roth 0001
  • Sikata Bela Sengupta
  • Jessica Sorrell

In traditional reinforcement learning (RL), the learner aims to solve a single objective optimization problem: find the policy that maximizes expected reward. However, in many real-world settings, it is important to optimize over multiple objectives simultaneously. For example, when we are interested in fairness, states might have feature annotations corresponding to multiple (intersecting) demographic groups to whom reward accrues, and our goal might be to maximize the reward of the group receiving the minimal reward. In this work, we consider a multi-objective optimization problem in which each objective is defined by a state-based reweighting of a single scalar reward function. This generalizes the problem of maximizing the reward of the minimum reward group. We provide oracle-efficient algorithms to solve these multi-objective RL problems even when the number of objectives is very large — for tabular MDPs, as well as for large MDPs when the group functions have additional structure. The contribution of this paper is that we are able to solve this class of multi-objective RL problems with a possibly exponentially large class of constraints over intersecting groups in both tabular and large state space MDPs in an oracle-efficient manner. Finally, we experimentally validate our theoretical results and demonstrate applications on a preferential attachment graph MDP.

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ICML Conference 2024 Conference Paper

Membership Inference Attacks on Diffusion Models via Quantile Regression

  • Shuai Tang
  • Zhiwei Steven Wu
  • Sergül Aydöre
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Aaron Roth 0001

Recently, diffusion models have become popular tools for image synthesis due to their high-quality outputs. However, like other large models, they may leak private information about their training data. Here, we demonstrate a privacy vulnerability of diffusion models through a membership inference (MI) attack, which aims to identify whether a target example belongs to the training set when given the trained diffusion model. Our proposed MI attack learns quantile regression models that predict (a quantile of) the distribution of reconstruction loss on examples not used in training. This allows us to define a granular hypothesis test for determining the membership of a point in the training set, based on thresholding the reconstruction loss of that point using a custom threshold tailored to the example. We also provide a simple bootstrap technique that takes a majority membership prediction over ”a bag of weak attackers” which improves the accuracy over individual quantile regression models. We show that our attack outperforms the prior state-of-the-art attack while being substantially less computationally expensive — prior attacks required training multiple ”shadow models” with the same architecture as the model under attack, whereas our attack requires training only much smaller models.

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ICML Conference 2023 Conference Paper

Multicalibration as Boosting for Regression

  • Ira Globus-Harris
  • Declan Harrison
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Aaron Roth 0001
  • Jessica Sorrell

We study the connection between multicalibration and boosting for squared error regression. First we prove a useful characterization of multicalibration in terms of a “swap regret” like condition on squared error. Using this characterization, we give an exceedingly simple algorithm that can be analyzed both as a boosting algorithm for regression and as a multicalibration algorithm for a class $\mathcal{H}$ that makes use only of a standard squared error regression oracle for $\mathcal{H}$. We give a weak learning assumption on $\mathcal{H}$ that ensures convergence to Bayes optimality without the need to make any realizability assumptions — giving us an agnostic boosting algorithm for regression. We then show that our weak learning assumption on $\mathcal{H}$ is both necessary and sufficient for multicalibration with respect to $\mathcal{H}$ to imply Bayes optimality, answering an open question. We also show that if $\mathcal{H}$ satisfies our weak learning condition relative to another class $\mathcal{C}$ then multicalibration with respect to $\mathcal{H}$ implies multicalibration with respect to $\mathcal{C}$. Finally we investigate the empirical performance of our algorithm experimentally.

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ICML Conference 2021 Conference Paper

Differentially Private Query Release Through Adaptive Projection

  • Sergül Aydöre
  • William Brown
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Krishnaram Kenthapadi
  • Luca Melis
  • Aaron Roth 0001
  • Amaresh Ankit Siva

We propose, implement, and evaluate a new algo-rithm for releasing answers to very large numbersof statistical queries likek-way marginals, sub-ject to differential privacy. Our algorithm makesadaptive use of a continuous relaxation of thePro-jection Mechanism, which answers queries on theprivate dataset using simple perturbation, and thenattempts to find the synthetic dataset that mostclosely matches the noisy answers. We use a con-tinuous relaxation of the synthetic dataset domainwhich makes the projection loss differentiable, and allows us to use efficient ML optimizationtechniques and tooling. Rather than answering allqueries up front, we make judicious use of ourprivacy budget by iteratively finding queries forwhich our (relaxed) synthetic data has high error, and then repeating the projection. Randomizedrounding allows us to obtain synthetic data in theoriginal schema. We perform experimental evalu-ations across a range of parameters and datasets, and find that our method outperforms existingalgorithms on large query classes.

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ICML Conference 2019 Conference Paper

Differentially Private Fair Learning

  • Matthew Jagielski
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Jieming Mao
  • Alina Oprea
  • Aaron Roth 0001
  • Saeed Sharifi-Malvajerdi
  • Jonathan R. Ullman

Motivated by settings in which predictive models may be required to be non-discriminatory with respect to certain attributes (such as race), but even collecting the sensitive attribute may be forbidden or restricted, we initiate the study of fair learning under the constraint of differential privacy. Our first algorithm is a private implementation of the equalized odds post-processing approach of (Hardt et al. , 2016). This algorithm is appealingly simple, but must be able to use protected group membership explicitly at test time, which can be viewed as a form of “disparate treatment”. Our second algorithm is a differentially private version of the oracle-efficient in-processing approach of (Agarwal et al. , 2018) which is more complex but need not have access to protected group membership at test time. We identify new tradeoffs between fairness, accuracy, and privacy that emerge only when requiring all three properties, and show that these tradeoffs can be milder if group membership may be used at test time. We conclude with a brief experimental evaluation.

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ICML Conference 2018 Conference Paper

Preventing Fairness Gerrymandering: Auditing and Learning for Subgroup Fairness

  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Seth Neel
  • Aaron Roth 0001
  • Zhiwei Steven Wu

The most prevalent notions of fairness in machine learning fix a small collection of pre-defined groups (such as race or gender), and then ask for approximate parity of some statistic of the classifier (such as false positive rate) across these groups. Constraints of this form are susceptible to fairness gerrymandering, in which a classifier is fair on each individual group, but badly violates the fairness constraint on structured subgroups, such as certain combinations of protected attribute values. We thus consider fairness across exponentially or infinitely many subgroups, defined by a structured class of functions over the protected attributes. We first prove that the problem of auditing subgroup fairness for both equality of false positive rates and statistical parity is computationally equivalent to the problem of weak agnostic learning — which means it is hard in the worst case, even for simple structured subclasses. However, it also suggests that common heuristics for learning can be applied to successfully solve the auditing problem in practice. We then derive an algorithm that provably converges in a polynomial number of steps to the best subgroup-fair distribution over classifiers, given access to an oracle which can solve the agnostic learning problem. The algorithm is based on a formulation of subgroup fairness as a zero-sum game between a Learner (the primal player) and an Auditor (the dual player). We implement a variant of this algorithm using heuristic oracles, and show that we can effectively both audit and learn fair classifiers on a real dataset.

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ICML Conference 2017 Conference Paper

Fairness in Reinforcement Learning

  • Shahin Jabbari
  • Matthew Joseph
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Jamie Morgenstern
  • Aaron Roth 0001

We initiate the study of fairness in reinforcement learning, where the actions of a learning algorithm may affect its environment and future rewards. Our fairness constraint requires that an algorithm never prefers one action over another if the long-term (discounted) reward of choosing the latter action is higher. Our first result is negative: despite the fact that fairness is consistent with the optimal policy, any learning algorithm satisfying fairness must take time exponential in the number of states to achieve non-trivial approximation to the optimal policy. We then provide a provably fair polynomial time algorithm under an approximate notion of fairness, thus establishing an exponential gap between exact and approximate fairness.

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ICML Conference 2017 Conference Paper

Meritocratic Fairness for Cross-Population Selection

  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Aaron Roth 0001
  • Zhiwei Steven Wu

We consider the problem of selecting a strong pool of individuals from several populations with incomparable skills (e. g. soccer players, mathematicians, and singers) in a fair manner. The quality of an individual is defined to be their relative rank (by cumulative distribution value) within their own population, which permits cross-population comparisons. We study algorithms which attempt to select the highest quality subset despite the fact that true CDF values are not known, and can only be estimated from the finite pool of candidates. Specifically, we quantify the regret in quality imposed by “meritocratic” notions of fairness, which require that individuals are selected with probability that is monotonically increasing in their true quality. We give algorithms with provable fairness and regret guarantees, as well as lower bounds, and provide empirical results which suggest that our algorithms perform better than the theory suggests. We extend our results to a sequential batch setting, in which an algorithm must repeatedly select subsets of individuals from new pools of applicants, but has the benefit of being able to compare them to the accumulated data from previous rounds.

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ICML Conference 2014 Conference Paper

Learning from Contagion (Without Timestamps)

  • Kareem Amin 0002
  • Hoda Heidari
  • Michael J. Kearns

We introduce and study new models for learning from contagion processes in a network. A learning algorithm is allowed to either choose or passively observe an initial set of seed infections. This seed set then induces a final set of infections resulting from the underlying stochastic contagion dynamics. Our models differ from prior work in that detailed vertex-by-vertex timestamps for the spread of the contagion are not observed. The goal of learning is to infer the unknown network structure. Our main theoretical results are efficient and provably correct algorithms for exactly learning trees. We provide empirical evidence that our algorithm performs well more generally on realistic sparse graphs.

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ICML Conference 2014 Conference Paper

Pursuit-Evasion Without Regret, with an Application to Trading

  • Lili Dworkin
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Yuriy Nevmyvaka

We propose a state-based variant of the classical online learning problem of tracking the best expert. In our setting, the actions of the algorithm and experts correspond to local moves through a continuous and bounded state space. At each step, Nature chooses payoffs as a function of each player’s current position and action. Our model therefore integrates the problem of prediction with expert advice with the stateful formalisms of reinforcement learning. Traditional no-regret learning approaches no longer apply, but we propose a simple algorithm that provably achieves no-regret when the state space is any convex Euclidean region. Our algorithm combines techniques from online learning with results from the literature on pursuit-evasion games. We describe a quantitative trading application in which the convex region captures inventory risk constraints, and local moves limit market impact. Using historical market data, we show experimentally that our algorithm has a strong advantage over classic no-regret approaches.

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ICML Conference 2013 Conference Paper

Large-Scale Bandit Problems and KWIK Learning

  • Jacob D. Abernethy
  • Kareem Amin 0002
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Moez Draief

We show that parametric multi-armed bandit (MAB) problems with large state and action spaces can be algorithmically reduced to the supervised learning model known as Knows What It Knows or KWIK learning. We give matching impossibility results showing that the KWIK learnability requirement cannot be replaced by weaker supervised learning assumptions. We provide such results in both the standard parametric MAB setting, as well as for a new model in which the action space is finite but growing with time.

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UAI Conference 2012 Conference Paper

Budget Optimization for Sponsored Search: Censored Learning in MDPs

  • Kareem Amin 0002
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Peter B. Key
  • Anton Schwaighofer

We consider the budget optimization problem faced by an advertiser participating in repeated sponsored search auctions, seeking to maximize the number of clicks attained under that budget. We cast the budget optimization problem as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) with censored observations, and propose a learning algorithm based on the wellknown Kaplan-Meier or product-limit estimator. We validate the performance of this algorithm by comparing it to several others on a large set of search auction data from Microsoft adCenter, demonstrating fast convergence to optimal performance.

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UAI Conference 2009 Conference Paper

Censored Exploration and the Dark Pool Problem

  • Kuzman Ganchev
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Yuriy Nevmyvaka
  • Jennifer Wortman Vaughan

We introduce and analyze a natural algorithm for multi-venue exploration from censored data, which is motivated by the Dark Pool Problem of modern quantitative finance. We prove that our algorithm converges in polynomial time to a near-optimal allocation policy; prior results for similar problems in stochastic inventory control guaranteed only asymptotic convergence and examined variants in which each venue could be treated independently. Our analysis bears a strong resemblance to that of efficient exploration/exploitation schemes in the reinforcement learning literature. We describe an extensive experimental evaluation of our algorithm on the Dark Pool Problem using real trading data.

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UAI Conference 2002 Conference Paper

Efficient Nash Computation in Large Population Games with Bounded Influence

  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Yishay Mansour

We introduce a general representation of large-population games in which each player s influence ON the others IS centralized AND limited, but may otherwise be arbitrary.This representation significantly generalizes the class known AS congestion games IN a natural way.Our main results are provably correct AND efficient algorithms FOR computing AND learning approximate Nash equilibria IN this general framework.

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UAI Conference 2001 Conference Paper

Graphical Models for Game Theory

  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Michael L. Littman
  • Satinder Singh 0001

In this work, we introduce graphical modelsfor multi-player game theory, and give powerful algorithms for computing their Nash equilibria in certain cases. An n-player game is given by an undirected graph on n nodes and a set of n local matrices. The interpretation is that the payoff to player i is determined entirely by the actions of player i and his neighbors in the graph, and thus the payoff matrix to player i is indexed only by these players. We thus view the global n-player game as being composed of interacting local games, each involving many fewer players. Each player's action may have global impact, but it occurs through the propagation of local influences.Our main technical result is an efficient algorithm for computing Nash equilibria when the underlying graph is a tree (or can be turned into a tree with few node mergings). The algorithm runs in time polynomial in the size of the representation (the graph and theassociated local game matrices), and comes in two related but distinct flavors. The first version involves an approximation step, and computes a representation of all approximate Nash equilibria (of which there may be an exponential number in general). The second version allows the exact computation of Nash equilibria at the expense of weakened complexity bounds. The algorithm requires only local message-passing between nodes (and thus can be implemented by the players themselves in a distributed manner). Despite an analogy to inference in Bayes nets that we develop, the analysis of our algorithm is more involved than that for the polytree algorithm in, owing partially to the fact that we must either compute, or select from, an exponential number of potential solutions. We discuss a number of extensions, such as the computation of equilibria with desirable global properties (e.g. maximizing global return), and directions for further research.

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UAI Conference 2000 Conference Paper

Nash Convergence of Gradient Dynamics in General-Sum Games

  • Satinder Singh 0001
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Yishay Mansour

Multi-agent games are becoming an increasing prevalent formalism for the study of electronic commerce and auctions. The speed at which transactions can take place and the growing complexity of electronic marketplaces makes the study of computationally simple agents an appealing direction. In this work, we analyze the behavior of agents that incrementally adapt their strategy through gradient ascent on expected payoff, in the simple setting of two-player, two-action, iterated general-sum games, and present a surprising result. We show that either the agents will converge to Nash equilibrium, or if the strategies themselves do not converge, then their average payoffs will nevertheless converge to the payoffs of a Nash equilibrium.

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UAI Conference 1998 Conference Paper

Exact Inference of Hidden Structure from Sample Data in noisy-OR Networks

  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Yishay Mansour

In the literature on graphical models, there has been increased attention paid to the problems of learning hidden structure (see Heckerman [H96] for survey) and causal mechanisms from sample data [H96, P88, S93, P95, F98]. In most settings we should expect the former to be difficult, and the latter potentially impossible without experimental intervention. In this work, we examine some restricted settings in which perfectly reconstruct the hidden structure solely on the basis of observed sample data.

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UAI Conference 1998 Conference Paper

Large Deviation Methods for Approximate Probabilistic Inference

  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Lawrence K. Saul

We study two-layer belief networks of binary random variables in which the conditional probabilities Pr[childlparents] depend monotonically on weighted sums of the parents. In large networks where exact probabilistic inference is intractable, we show how to compute upper and lower bounds on many probabilities of interest. In particular, using methods from large deviation theory, we derive rigorous bounds on marginal probabilities such as Pr[children] and prove rates of convergence for the accuracy of our bounds as a function of network size. Our results apply to networks with generic transfer function parameterizations of the conditional probability tables, such as sigmoid and noisy-OR. They also explicitly illustrate the types of averaging behavior that can simplify the problem of inference in large networks.

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FOCS Conference 1995 Conference Paper

Efficient Algorithms for Learning to Play Repeated Games Against Computationally Bounded Adversaries

  • Yoav Freund
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Yishay Mansour
  • Dana Ron
  • Ronitt Rubinfeld
  • Robert E. Schapire

We examine the problem of learning to play various games optimally against resource-bounded adversaries, with an explicit emphasis on the computational efficiency of the learning algorithm. We are especially interested in providing efficient algorithms for games other than penny-matching (in which payoff is received for matching the adversary's action in the current round), and for adversaries other than the classically studied finite automata. In particular, we examine games and adversaries for which the learning algorithm's past actions may strongly affect the adversary's future willingness to "cooperate" (that is, permit high payoff), and therefore require carefully planned actions on the part of the learning algorithm. For example, in the game we call contract, both sides play O or 1 on each round, but our side receives payoff only if we play 1 in synchrony with the adversary; unlike penny-matching, playing O in synchrony with the adversary pays nothing. The name of the game is derived from the example of signing a contract, which becomes valid only if both parties sign (play 1).

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FOCS Conference 1990 Conference Paper

Efficient Distribution-free Learning of Probabilistic Concepts (Extended Abstract)

  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Robert E. Schapire

A model of machine learning in which the concept to be learned may exhibit uncertain or probabilistic behavior is investigated. Such probabilistic concepts (or p-concepts) may arise in situations such as weather prediction, where the measured variables and their accuracy are insufficient to determine the outcome with certainty. It is required that learning algorithms be both efficient and general in the sense that they perform well for a wide class of p-concepts and for any distribution over the domain. Many efficient algorithms for learning natural classes of p-concepts are given, and an underlying theory of learning p-concepts is developed in detail. >

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FOCS Conference 1990 Conference Paper

Exact Identification of Circuits Using Fixed Points of Amplification Functions (Extended Abstract)

  • Sally A. Goldman
  • Michael J. Kearns
  • Robert E. Schapire

A technique for exactly identifying certain classes of read-once Boolean formulas is introduced. The method is based on sampling the input-output behavior of the target formula on a probability distribution which is determined by the fixed point of the formula's amplification function (defined as the probability that a 1 is output by the formula when each input bit is 1 independently with probability p). By performing various statistical tests on easily sampled variants of the fixed-point distribution, it is possible to infer efficiently all structural information about any logarithmic-depth target family (with high probability). The results are used to prove the existence of short universal identification sequences for large classes of formulas. Extensions of the algorithms to handle high rates of noise and to learn formulas of unbounded depth in L. G. Valiant's (1984) model with respect to specific distributions are described. >

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