In the Mixture of Experts model, the overall prediction task is divided among a set of expert neural networks, each trained to specialize in a specific type of input data. This division is managed by a gating network which learns to assign different parts of the input space to the most competent experts. The experts and the gating network are trained simultaneously, allowing the system to dynamically allocate the computational focus depending on the complexity and nature of the input. MoE models are particularly useful in scenarios where different kinds of data or tasks are present, offering a scalable and efficient approach to handling large and diverse datasets by focusing on utilizing the expertise of individual models where they perform best.
Historical Overview: The concept of Mixture of Experts was first introduced by Jacobs et al. in 1991. It gained significant popularity in the late 1990s as it was applied to various complex problems in pattern recognition and machine learning, showcasing its versatility in efficiently handling diverse datasets and tasks.
Key Contributors: The original concept of Mixture of Experts was developed by Robert Jacobs and colleagues. Since its inception, the framework has been expanded upon and refined by numerous researchers in the field of machine learning, contributing to its evolution into a robust approach for managing heterogeneous data and tasks within large-scale AI systems.