ora-0111

8.9 Persistent and online PACC

At time \(t\), let \(\mathcal Q_t\) be the probes licensed by the available information category and let \(P_t\) be their conditional distribution. A persistent learner must control current risk without gratuitously changing answers already settled under earlier doctrines.

Definition 8.9 Persistent PACC

A UOCL execution \((\widehat{\mathcal C}_t)_{t\geq 0}\) is persistently PACC on a settled subdoctrine \(\mathcal Q_0\) when it satisfies the declared PACC risk bounds at each time and its comparison maps \(\widehat{\mathcal C}_t\to \widehat{\mathcal C}_{t+1}\) are conservative on all answers registered as settled in \(\mathcal Q_0\). Under drift, the declaration must additionally specify cumulative or discounted risk and the defect of transporting probes from \(P_t\) to \(P_{t+1}\).

Proposition 8.10 Finite-horizon confidence composition

Suppose that, conditional on every preceding transcript, the learner at each \(t\leq T\) satisfies its PACC bound with failure probability at most \(\delta _t\). Then with probability at least \(1-\sum _{t=1}^T\delta _t\), all \(T\) risk bounds hold simultaneously. If the comparison maps are conservative on the settled doctrine, its registered answers also persist through time \(T\).

Proof ▼

The conditional guarantees imply unconditional failure probabilities bounded by \(\delta _t\). The first claim is the union bound. The second is finite composition of conservative comparison maps, as in Proposition 7.3.

This proposition is modest but clarifies what changes online. A static PACC bound controls a random approximation. Persistent PACC additionally requires typed transport of what has been learned. Adaptive probing calls for concentration under dependent observations; endogenous decisions further require the information and safety semantics developed in Parts IV and VI.