Incentive Analysis for Agent Participation in Federated Learning

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Yi, Lihui, Niu, Xiaochun, Wei, Ermin
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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_version_ 1866909535375982592
author Yi, Lihui
Niu, Xiaochun
Wei, Ermin
author_facet Yi, Lihui
Niu, Xiaochun
Wei, Ermin
contents Federated learning offers a decentralized approach to machine learning, where multiple agents collaboratively train a model while preserving data privacy. In this paper, we investigate the decision-making and equilibrium behavior in federated learning systems, where agents choose between participating in global training or conducting independent local training. The problem is first modeled as a stage game and then extended to a repeated game to analyze the long-term dynamics of agent participation. For the stage game, we characterize the participation patterns and identify Nash equilibrium, revealing how data heterogeneity influences the equilibrium behavior-specifically, agents with similar data qualities will participate in FL as a group. We also derive the optimal social welfare and show that it coincides with Nash equilibrium under mild assumptions. In the repeated game, we propose a privacy-preserving, computationally efficient myopic strategy. This strategy enables agents to make practical decisions under bounded rationality and converges to a neighborhood of Nash equilibrium of the stage game in finite time. By combining theoretical insights with practical strategy design, this work provides a realistic and effective framework for guiding and analyzing agent behaviors in federated learning systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_09039
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Incentive Analysis for Agent Participation in Federated Learning
Yi, Lihui
Niu, Xiaochun
Wei, Ermin
Computer Science and Game Theory
Systems and Control
Federated learning offers a decentralized approach to machine learning, where multiple agents collaboratively train a model while preserving data privacy. In this paper, we investigate the decision-making and equilibrium behavior in federated learning systems, where agents choose between participating in global training or conducting independent local training. The problem is first modeled as a stage game and then extended to a repeated game to analyze the long-term dynamics of agent participation. For the stage game, we characterize the participation patterns and identify Nash equilibrium, revealing how data heterogeneity influences the equilibrium behavior-specifically, agents with similar data qualities will participate in FL as a group. We also derive the optimal social welfare and show that it coincides with Nash equilibrium under mild assumptions. In the repeated game, we propose a privacy-preserving, computationally efficient myopic strategy. This strategy enables agents to make practical decisions under bounded rationality and converges to a neighborhood of Nash equilibrium of the stage game in finite time. By combining theoretical insights with practical strategy design, this work provides a realistic and effective framework for guiding and analyzing agent behaviors in federated learning systems.
title Incentive Analysis for Agent Participation in Federated Learning
topic Computer Science and Game Theory
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.09039