mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Multi-agent Inverse Reinforcement Learning for Certain General-sum Stochastic Games

arXiv 1806.09795 ↗First posted 26 Jun 2018cs.LG cs.GT stat.MLcited by 4

On the map: Offline RL and imitation learning from data → Inverse reinforcement learning

Abstract (arXiv)

This paper addresses the problem of multi-agent inverse reinforcement learning (MIRL) in a two-player general-sum stochastic game framework. Five variants of MIRL are considered: uCS-MIRL, advE-MIRL, cooE-MIRL, uCE-MIRL, and uNE-MIRL, each distinguished by its solution concept. Problem uCS-MIRL is a cooperative game in which the agents employ cooperative strategies that aim to maximize the total game value. In problem uCE-MIRL, agents are assumed to follow strategies that constitute a correlated equilibrium while maximizing total game value. Problem uNE-MIRL is similar to uCE-MIRL in total game value maximization, but it is assumed that the agents are playing a Nash equilibrium. Problems advE-MIRL and cooE-MIRL assume agents are playing an adversarial equilibrium and a coordination equilibrium, respectively. We propose novel approaches to address these five problems under the assumption that the game observer either knows or is able to accurate estimate the policies and solution concepts for players. For uCS-MIRL, we first develop a characteristic set of solutions ensuring that the observed bi-policy is a uCS and then apply a Bayesian inverse learning method. For uCE-MIRL, we develop a linear programming problem subject to constraints that define necessary and sufficient conditions for the observed policies to be correlated equilibria. The objective is to choose a solution that not only minimizes the total game value difference between the observed bi-policy and a local uCS, but also maximizes the scale of the solution. We apply a similar treatment to the problem of uNE-MIRL. The remaining two problems can be solved efficiently by taking advantage of solution uniqueness and setting up a convex optimization problem. Results are validated on various benchmark grid-world games.

Key facts. Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in Inverse reinforcement learning, one of 13 directions in Offline RL and imitation learning from data. Builds on 6 of its 38 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 26 Jun 2018.

Builds on

6 of 38 references.

Closest ancestors · 1

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2018Competitive Multi-agent Inverse Reinforcement Learning with Sub-optimal Demonstrations7 Jan

Other references · 5

  1. 2016Cooperative Inverse Reinforcement Learningcited by 298
  2. 2013Computational Rationalization: The Inverse Equilibrium Problemcited by 24
  3. 2014Multi-agent Inverse Reinforcement Learning for Two-person Zero-sum Gamescited by 17
  4. 2014A Multiagent Reinforcement Learning Algorithm with Non-linear Dynamicscited by 5
  5. 2014Decentralized Anti-coordination Through Multi-agent Learningcited by 4

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Citing papers per year: 2019: 2; 2020: 0; 2021: 0; 2022: 0; 2023: 0; 2024: 1; 2025: 0; 2026: 1.

4 papers.

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Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2021Multi-Agent Inverse Reinforcement Learning: Suboptimal Demonstrations and Alternative Solution Concepts
  2. 2023Data-Driven Inverse Reinforcement Learning for Expert-Learner Zero-Sum Games
  3. 2020Scalable Multi-Agent Inverse Reinforcement Learning via Actor-Attention-Critic
  4. 2023Multiagent Inverse Reinforcement Learning via Theory of Mind Reasoning
  5. 2025Multi-Agent Inverse Q-Learning from Demonstrations
  6. 2018A Survey of Inverse Reinforcement Learning: Challenges, Methods and Progress
  7. 2019Inverse Dynamic Games Based on Maximum Entropy Inverse Reinforcement Learning
  8. 2021Adversarial Inverse Reinforcement Learning for Mean Field Games