TalkRL: The Reinforcement Learning Podcast

Thomas Akam, a prominent neuroscientist from Oxford, leads the Cognitive Circuits Research Group and explores the fascinating interface of the brain and behavior. He discusses how the brain adapts actions through internal models, revealing insights into decision-making mechanisms. The conversation also highlights the metabolic costs of brain tissue, contrasting biological intelligence with AI. Additionally, Akam shares advancements in brain measurement technologies, paving the way for exciting strides in understanding cognitive processes.

Stefano V. Albrecht was previously Associate Professor at the University of Edinburgh, and is currently serving as Director of AI at startup Deepflow. He is a Program Chair of RLDM 2025 and is co-author of the MIT Press textbook "Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning: Foundations and Modern Approaches".Featured ReferencesMulti-Agent Reinforcement Learning: Foundations and Modern ApproachesStefano V. Albrecht,  Filippos Christianos,  Lukas SchäferMIT Press, 2024RLDM 2025: Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making ConferenceDublin, IrelandEPyMARL: Extended Python MARL frameworkhttps://github.com/uoe-agents/epymarlBenchmarking Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Algorithms in Cooperative TasksGeorgios Papoudakis and Filippos Christianos and Lukas Schäfer and Stefano V. Albrecht

Professor Satinder Singh of Google DeepMind and U of Michigan is co-founder of RLDM.  Here he narrates the origin story of the Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making meeting (not conference).Recorded on location at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland during RLDM 2025.Featured ReferencesRLDM 2025: Multi-disciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making (RLDM)June 11-14, 2025 at Trinity College Dublin, IrelandSatinder Singh on Google Scholar

Discover innovative benchmarks for multi-agent reinforcement learning in wind farm control, tackling turbine performance issues. Learn about groundbreaking methods that bridge simulation and real-world applications, enhancing exploration strategies. Delve into contextual bi-level reinforcement learning, using leader-follower dynamics for optimizing rewards. Also, explore the QGEN framework, which revolutionizes queuing network simulations with deep learning, setting new standards in action space definition.

Dive into cutting-edge research from NeurIPS 2024! Explore how cultural accumulation enhances generational intelligence in reinforcement learning. Discover innovations in training device-control agents through autonomous methods, outperforming traditional techniques. Learn about improving stability and convergence in deep reinforcement learning, tackling state-action churn effectively. Finally, uncover versatile methodologies and tools that boost efficiency across various algorithms, featuring the impressive JackSmile resource.

This discussion dives into innovative methods for unsupervised skill discovery in hierarchical reinforcement learning, using driving as a practical example. It also tackles trust issues in Proximal Policy Optimization and introduces Time-Constrained Robust MDPs for improved performance. Sustainability in supercomputing is highlighted, showcasing AI's role in reducing energy consumption. Additionally, there's a focus on standardizing multi-agent reinforcement learning for better control and optimizing exploration strategies when rewards are not easily visible.

Abhishek Naik, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Research Council of Canada, recently completed his PhD in reinforcement learning under Rich Sutton. He explores average reward methods and their implications for continuous decision-making in AI. The discussion dives into innovative applications in space exploration and challenges in resource allocation, drawing on examples like Mars rovers. Abhishek emphasizes the transformative power of first-principles thinking, highlighting how AI advancements are shaping the future of spacecraft control and missions.

What do RL researchers complain about after hours at the bar?  In this "Hot takes" episode, we find out!  Recorded at The Pearl in downtown Vancouver, during the RL meetup after a day of Neurips 2024.  Special thanks to "David Beckham" for the inspiration :)  

David Radke from the Chicago Blackhawks shares insights on using reinforcement learning in professional sports to enhance team performance. Abhishek Naik discusses the significance of continuing reinforcement learning and average reward, sparking a conversation about adaptability in AI. Daphne Cornelisse dives into autonomous driving and multi-agent systems, focusing on how to improve human-like behavior. Shray Bansal examines cognitive bias in human-AI teamwork, while Claas Voelcker tackles the complexities of hopping in reinforcement learning. Each guest brings a unique perspective on cutting-edge research.

David Abel from DeepMind dives into the 'Three Dogmas of Reinforcement Learning,' offering fresh insights on foundational principles. Kevin Wang from Brown discusses innovative variable depth search methods for Monte Carlo Tree Search, enhancing efficiency. Ashwin Kumar from Washington University addresses fairness in resource allocation, highlighting ethical implications. Finally, Prabhat Nagarajan from UAlberta delves into Value overestimation, revealing its impact on decision-making in RL. This dynamic conversation touches on pivotal advancements and challenges in the field.