Scalable In-Context Reinforcement Learning with Recurrent Algorithm Distillation

Abstract:Algorithm Distillation (AD) has demonstrated the remarkable ability of Transformers to perform in-context reinforcement learning without explicit weight updates. However, capturing long-term learning progress necessitates expansive context windows, which incur prohibitive memory costs and limit scalability in complex, long-horizon tasks. To address this bottleneck, we propose Recurrent Algorithm Distillation (RAD). RAD employs a dual-component architecture: a Compression Transformer that distills extended interaction histories into compact latent tokens, and an AD Transformer that auto-regressively generates actions using a hybrid context of these compressed memories and recent transitions. By maintaining a fixed-size latent buffer, RAD decouples the effective history length from computational complexity, functionally providing the model with a long-horizon memory. Empirical evaluations across diverse environments demonstrate that RAD matches the asymptotic performance of standard AD with significantly reduced context window sizes, offering a scalable solution for efficient in-context decision-making.

Machine Learning (cs.LG)

arXiv:2609.35333 [cs.LG]

(or arXiv:2609.35333v1 [cs.LG] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.35333 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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