An SVM-Based Framework for Long-Term Learning Systems

Abstract In our research, we study the problem of learning a sequence of supervised tasks. This is a long-standing challenge in machine learning. Our work relies on transfer of knowledge between hypotheses learned with Support Vector Machines. Transfer occurs in two directions: forward and backward. We have proposed to selectively transfer forward support vector coefficients from previous hypotheses as upper-bounds on support vector coefficients to be learned on a target task. We also proposed a novel method for refining existing hypotheses by transferring backward knowledge from a target hypothesis learned recently. We have improved this method through a hypothesis refinement approach that refines whilst encouraging retention of knowledge. Our contribution is represented in a long-term learning framework for binary classification tasks received sequentially one at a time.