What is Q learning? | Deep Q-learning

In this article, We will discuss What Is Q Learning? or Deep Q-Learning and their usability in the world of AI.

One of the most difficult things about AI is that there are so many different algorithms to choose from, each with various strengths and weaknesses.

One algorithm that seems promising for tackling lots of different tasks is the Q-learning algorithm to make complex AI projects.

What is Q-Learning?

The Q-learning algorithm is a model-free reinforcement learning algorithm that can be used to learn the value of an action in a particular state.

In this blog post, we will explore what Q-learning is all about and why it’s such a powerful tool for any AI developer to use in AI Projects.

I will also show you how the algorithm can be applied to many different domains, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and more!

What is Deep Q-Learning?

It is a deep learning system that can be used in both supervised and unsupervised learning problems.

Deep Q-learning is still in the research phase, but it may be coming soon to a computer near you.

Deep learning uses Q learning for reinforcement algorithm building and it does not require a model for predicting the future value of states.

The algorithm requires one function computation and one evaluation to determine what action should be taken in a specific state.

Why do We Need Q-learning?

Machine learning is a subject that often makes people’s heads spin. It’s not as easy as learning HTML, but learning how to use some simple algorithms like Q-learning can make your programming life much easier!

It’s easy to think of algorithms as complicated, but this article will break down the concept of Q-learning for you.

Understanding how it works can help you better understand complex AI models and make your own ML models easier to build!

What is the Q-learning algorithm?

The Q-learning algorithm is one of the most important algorithms in machine learning. It’s a type of reinforcement learning, which means that the agent learns by trial and error.

It is a Model-Free algorithm and It is used to solve a problem with experience and thus improve performance.

Who Developed It?

The Q-learning was developed by Richard Sutton and ​Art​uro ​Soriano​ and revised later by many researchers including ​Jun​rong Nagahori, Michael ​Auer Humboldt-Universität Berlin/TU Berlin.

The idea is to use past experiences to predict future rewards. The technique has been used for everything like game playing, robotics, and even in social sciences like economics.

It is Actions Based Model

We, humans, are constantly taking action to achieve our goals. Every day, we go to work, do chores around the house, or eat that favorite food.

These actions are called “actions.” We are always trying various combinations of actions in order to learn what works best for us.

What is an FMDP?

Reinforcement learning is the study of learning by trial and error. An AI agent learns to take actions based on what it has observed so far, after which it is rewarded or penalized for the observed outcome.

The Q-learning algorithm is an example of model-free, Markov decision process (MDP) based reinforcement learning algorithms that are able to find optimal action-selection policies infinite time.

FMDP stands for finite Markov decision process which can refer to any decision-making problem where the rewards are based on transition probabilities.

How can we do Q-learning in the real world?

There are some ways to do Q-learning in the real world and One way is to build a simulator that has everything that the real world has.

If you wanted to, for example, do Q-learning with a robot, you could build a simulator for the robot and run the robot’s AI on it.

These simulations can be used for any kind of situation. Another way is even easier: just use software!

A third way is to use simulation software like Houdini or Unity. These programs can allow you to “play” the game and see how well your agent does at any time and in any circumstance without having to actually play it out in real life.

How does it works?

It is a form of machine learning in which an agent tries to maximize a reward by incrementally searching through the space of possible actions.

An agent starts with a random action, then takes a step in that direction. If it’s successful, then it increases its probability for that action and repeats the process until it reaches the goal.

What are the Learning Values in It?

It is a form of reinforcement learning used to build AI-based Deep learning algorithms for different purposes and makes complex learning very easy.

In contrast to supervised learning, where the teacher gives good and bad examples of the desired behavior, an agent learns from trial and error using exploration and exploitation.

It records which actions produced a high utility value on each state-action pair in order to best know which action to take next time it enters that state.

Applications of Q-Learning

It is a type of reinforcement learning, which is an artificial intelligence algorithm that allows an agent to learn how to behave in any given environment.

It’s based on the principle that agents can explore their environments and learn how different actions influence their rewards at each point in time.

It is highly utilized for AI works and it can be used in areas like robotic navigation and even machine translation.

It has the ability to learn much more quickly than other systems, which means that it can train models faster for quicker results.

Conclusion

Although there are several different algorithms used to perform deep learning tasks, perhaps the most thought-provoking is Q-learning.

It is a model-free reinforcement learning technique that can be used to create some of today’s most popular algorithms and can be applied to many different areas in artificial intelligence and it’s probably best if we just tackle one at a time.

References

When looking for references on Q-learning, you can explore a variety of sources including textbooks, academic papers, online tutorials, and courses. Here are some references that can help you understand Q-learning in depth:

1. Textbooks:
  • “Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction” by Richard S. Sutton and Andrew G. Barto. This is a widely recognized and freely available textbook that provides an excellent introduction to Q-learning and reinforcement learning in general.
2. Academic Papers:
  • Watkins, C. J. C. H., & Dayan, P. (1992). “Q-learning.” Machine learning, 8(3-4), 279-292. This is the seminal paper that introduced Q-learning.
  • Mnih, V., Kavukcuoglu, K., Silver, D., Rusu, A. A., Veness, J., Bellemare, M. G., … & Petersen, S. (2015). “Human-level control through deep reinforcement learning.” Nature, 518(7540), 529-533. This paper discusses deep Q-learning using neural networks.
3. Online Tutorials and Courses:
  • The OpenAI Spinning Up website provides a comprehensive and practical introduction to reinforcement learning and Q-learning.
  • David Silver’s Reinforcement Learning Course is a highly regarded series of video lectures and materials on reinforcement learning.
  • Coursera and edX offer courses on reinforcement learning, such as the “Reinforcement Learning Specialization” by the University of Alberta on Coursera.
4. GitHub Repositories:
  • Explore open-source implementations of Q-learning on platforms like GitHub. You can find code examples and practical implementations to help you understand how Q-learning works in practice.
5. Blogs and Online Resources:
  • Blogs and websites dedicated to machine learning and reinforcement learning often have in-depth articles on Q-learning, along with practical examples.
6. Online Communities:

Remember to keep up-to-date with the latest research and developments in reinforcement learning, as the field is constantly evolving.