Aggregating Preferences With Limited Queries - CFCS Seminar

Recorded presentation at online seminar hosted by CFCS, Peking University. Abstract below.
Social choice theory studies the problem of aggregating individual preferences into a single set of preferences for society as a whole. It is typically assumed that one has full access to complete descriptions of each individual's preferences. However, online platforms are emerging which seek to aggregate complex preferences over a vast space of alternatives, rendering it infeasible to learn any individual's preferences completely. Instead, preferences must be elicited by an algorithm using simple queries. In this talk, I will present work from two of my recent papers characterizing both the information-theoretic and computational limits of such algorithms:
arxiv.org/abs/... - EC 2024 paper about ranked preferences
arxiv.org/abs/... - AAAI 2023 paper about approval preferences
No prior knowledge of social choice theory will be assumed.