# EvoRank: LLM-Guided Evolution of Multi-Objective Learning-to-Rank Pipelines

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22196 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.22196/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 19 of its 25 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 30 Aug 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 19 of 19)

- [XGBoost: A Scalable Tree Boosting System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.02754/) (2016)
- [Reflexion: Language Agents with Verbal Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11366/) (2023)
- [Optuna: A Next-generation Hyperparameter Optimization Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.10902/) (2019)
- [AlphaEvolve: A coding agent for scientific and algorithmic discovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.13131/) (2025)
- [Large Language Models as Optimizers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.03409/) (2023)
- [Automatic Prompt Optimization with "Gradient Descent" and Beam Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.03495/) (2023)
- [GEPA: Reflective Prompt Evolution Can Outperform Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.19457/) (2025)
- [AIDE: AI-Driven Exploration in the Space of Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.13138/) (2025)
- [Large Language Models for Automated Data Science: Introducing CAAFE for Context-Aware Automated Feature Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.03403/) (2023)
- [AdaEvolve: Adaptive LLM Driven Zeroth-Order Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.20133/) (2026)
- [EvoX: Meta-Evolution for Automated Discovery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.23413/) (2026)
- [AM-LFS: AutoML for Loss Function Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.07375/) (2019)
- [Improved Training Speed, Accuracy, and Data Utilization Through Loss Function Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.11528/) (2019)
- [ML-Agent: Reinforcing LLM Agents for Autonomous Machine Learning Engineering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.23723/) (2025)
- [Loss Function Discovery for Object Detection via Convergence-Simulation Driven Search](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.04700/) (2021)
- [AutoLoss-Zero: Searching Loss Functions from Scratch for Generic Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.14026/) (2021)
- [A Survey on E-Commerce Learning to Rank](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.03581/) (2024)
- [RankEvolve: Automating the Discovery of Retrieval Algorithms via LLM-Driven Evolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.16932/) (2026)
- [Combination of Diverse Ranking Models for Personalized Expedia Hotel Searches](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1311.7679/) (2013)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present EvoRank, an open autonomous ranking engineer: an LLM-guided evolutionary loop that discovers complete Learning-to-Rank pipelines (features, models, losses, ensembles) for multi-objective e-commerce search. On the Expedia ICDM 2013 dataset, with relevance, conversion, and revenue as competing objectives, three independent runs each converge within 50 iterations (about ten dollars) on interpretable pipelines that beat an Optuna-tuned LambdaMART on 60k held-out queries, an advantage that persists at full data scale and places in the top 6 percent of the original competition. A first campaign, evolving only training objectives, builds the central design rule: it appeared to work on its selection fold (the small dataset it uses to pick winners) while a transfer audit, re-scoring winners on held-out data, showed the gains were almost entirely fitness noise (the randomness of its own scoring), and neither seeded domain knowledge nor richer diagnostic feedback changed what transferred. The deciding quantity is measurable in advance: search-space headroom relative to fitness noise. We package this as a headroom gate that predicts, before any LLM spend, whether the loop will pay off, and we release the system, the auditing tools, and a catalog of failure modes with their guardrails, so teams can apply the procedure to their own ranking stacks.