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Honest Signaling in Zero-Sum Games Is Hard, and Lying Is Even Harder

Author Aviad Rubinstein

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  • Signaling
  • Zero-sum Games
  • Algorithmic Game Theory
  • birthday repetition

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Abstract

We prove that, assuming the exponential time hypothesis, finding an epsilon-approximately optimal symmetric signaling scheme in a two-player zero-sum game requires quasi-polynomial time. This is tight by [Cheng et al., FOCS'15] and resolves an open question of [Dughmi, FOCS'14]. We also prove that finding a multiplicative approximation is NP-hard.

We also introduce a new model where a dishonest signaler may publicly commit to use one scheme, but post signals according to a different scheme. For this model, we prove that even finding a (1-2^{-n})-approximately optimal scheme is NP-hard.

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Aviad Rubinstein. Honest Signaling in Zero-Sum Games Is Hard, and Lying Is Even Harder. In 44th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2017). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 80, pp. 77:1-77:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2017.77

Author Details

Aviad Rubinstein

References

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