Exploration vs Exploitation Challenge

1. Exploration vs Exploitation Challenge Challenge team

2. Schedule • 2.00 – 2.30 Introduction and overview of the problem, Leonard Newnham, Touch Clarity • 2.30 – 2.45 Results of phase 1 and launch phase 2, John Shawe-Taylor • 2.45 – 3.15 Bandit problems and the UCB Algorithm, Nicolo Cesa-Bianchi • 3.15 – 3.30 Challenge Tasks and Baseline Algorithms, Peter Auer • 4.00 – 4.15 Solution 1, Cedric Hartland • 4.15 – 4.30 Solution 2, John Shawe-Taylor • 4.30 – 5.00 Solution 3, Levente Kocsis • 5.00 – 5.05 Wrap up, Zakria Hussain

3. Exploration Vs Exploitation Challenge • Organizers • Peter Auer • Nicolò Cesa-Bianchi • Zakria Hussain • Jason McFall • Leonard Newnham • John Shawe-Taylor

4. Exploration Vs Exploitation Challenge (Phase 1) • ‘Datasets’ were given out on 19th January 2006 along with 3 baseline algorithms (Java) • Participants asked to write their own algorithms and submit by 26th March 2006 • We published seeds on 27th March 2006 • Participants submitted their results using the seeds by 31st March 2006

5. Exploration Vs Exploitation Challenge (Phase 1) • 3 Participants • 1 France • 1 Hungary • 1 England

10. Phase 2 • Challenge still open until at least September 2006 • Maybe even until next year! • May present final results at ECML or NIPS or next years PASCAL Challenges workshop • Dates will be finalized within next month • Same 3 types of task will be available • PLUS: Other variations of tasks and some more tasks

11. Phase 2 • PRIZE: £1000 • Participants algorithms will be judged on a selection of tasks • Details to be released through the website

12. Website • Challenge website: • www.pascal-network.org/Challenges/EEC • If you planning to participate please email Zak • zh03r@ecs.soton.ac.uk

13. Exploration Vs Exploitation Challenge • Questions?