Exploration-Exploitation Trade-Off
As we mentioned earlier, RL is all about learning from experience without a supervisor labeling correct actions for the agent. The agent observes the consequences of its actions, identifies what actions are leading to the highest rewards in each situation and learns from this experience. Now, think about something you learned from your own experience. For example, how to study for a test. Chances are you explored different methods until you discovered what works the best for you. Maybe you studied regularly for your tests first, but then you tried whether studying the last night before the test could work well enough - and maybe it does for certain types of tests. The point is that you had to explore to find the method(s) that maximizes your "reward," which is a function of your test score, time spent for leisure activities, your anxiety levels before and during the test etc. In fact, exploration is essential for any learning that is...