Uniform Computability of PAC Learning

TL;DR

This paper investigates the computational complexity of PAC learning using Weihrauch degrees, classifying the constructivity of the Fundamental Theorem of Statistical Learning and analyzing the VC dimension operation.

Contribution

It provides a Weihrauch complexity classification of PAC learning and VC dimension computation, revealing their degrees of non-deterministic and probabilistic computability.

Findings

Proper PAC learning from positive info is equivalent to the limit operation.

Improper PAC learning from positive info relates to Weak König's Lemma.

VC dimension computation is equivalent to binary sorting or its jump.

Abstract

We study uniform computability properties of PAC learning using Weihrauch complexity. We focus on closed concept classes, which are either represented by positive, by negative or by full information. Among other results, we prove that proper PAC learning from positive information is equivalent to the limit operation on Baire space, whereas improper PAC learning from positive information is closely related to Weak K\H{o}nig's Lemma and even equivalent to it, when we have some negative information about the admissible hypotheses. If arbitrary hypotheses are allowed, then improper PAC learning from positive information is still in a finitary DNC range, which implies that it is non-deterministically computable, but does not allow for probabilistic algorithms. These results can also be seen as a classification of the degree of constructivity of the Fundamental Theorem of Statistical Learning. All the aforementioned results hold if an upper bound of the VC dimension is provided as an additional input information. We also study the question of how these results are affected if the VC dimension is not given, but only promised to be finite or if concept classes are represented by negative or full information. Finally, we also classify the complexity of the VC dimension operation itself, which is a problem that is of independent interest. For positive or full information it turns out to be equivalent to the binary sorting problem, for negative information it is equivalent to the jump of sorting. This classification allows also conclusions regarding the Borel complexity of PAC learnability.