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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Beretta, Lorenzo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.05819
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author Beretta, Lorenzo
author_facet Beretta, Lorenzo
contents We study the problem of learning junta distributions on $\{0, 1\}^n$, where a distribution is a $k$-junta if its probability mass function depends on a subset of at most $k$ variables. We make two main contributions: - We show that learning $k$-junta distributions is \emph{computationally} equivalent to learning $k$-parity functions with noise (LPN), a landmark problem in computational learning theory. - We design an algorithm for learning junta distributions whose statistical complexity is optimal, up to polylogarithmic factors. Computationally, our algorithm matches the complexity of previous (non-sample-optimal) algorithms. Combined, our two contributions imply that our algorithm cannot be significantly improved, statistically or computationally, barring a breakthrough for LPN.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_05819
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle New Statistical and Computational Results for Learning Junta Distributions
Beretta, Lorenzo
Machine Learning
Data Structures and Algorithms
We study the problem of learning junta distributions on $\{0, 1\}^n$, where a distribution is a $k$-junta if its probability mass function depends on a subset of at most $k$ variables. We make two main contributions: - We show that learning $k$-junta distributions is \emph{computationally} equivalent to learning $k$-parity functions with noise (LPN), a landmark problem in computational learning theory. - We design an algorithm for learning junta distributions whose statistical complexity is optimal, up to polylogarithmic factors. Computationally, our algorithm matches the complexity of previous (non-sample-optimal) algorithms. Combined, our two contributions imply that our algorithm cannot be significantly improved, statistically or computationally, barring a breakthrough for LPN.
title New Statistical and Computational Results for Learning Junta Distributions
topic Machine Learning
Data Structures and Algorithms
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.05819