While model-based reinforcement learning has empirically been shown to significantly reduce the sample complexity that hinders model-free RL, the theoretical understanding of such methods has been rather limited. In this paper, we introduce a novel algorithmic framework for designing and analyzing model-based RL algorithms with theoretical guarantees, and a practical algorithm Optimistic Lower Bounds Optimization (OLBO). In particular, we derive a theoretical guarantee of monotone improvement for model-based RL with our framework. We iteratively build a lower bound of the expected reward based on the estimated dynamical model and sample trajectories, and maximize it jointly over the policy and the model. Assuming the optimization in each iteration succeeds, the expected reward is guaranteed to improve. The framework also incorporates an optimism-driven perspective, and reveals the intrinsic measure for the model prediction error. Preliminary simulations demonstrate that our approach outperforms the standard baselines on continuous control benchmark tasks.

本文提出了一种新的算法框架来设计和分析具有理论保证的基于模型的强化学习算法，该框架将不确定性原则扩展到非线性动态模型，其中模型SLBO在连续控制基准任务上实现了最先进的性能。

模型基深度强化学习算法框架及其理论保证