Research map / Learning theory and algorithms / Submodular and game algorithms
Submodular influence maximization
Select seed nodes to spread influence in networks using submodular cascade models.
33 accepted papers at ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR and AAAI (2016–2026) · an approach in Submodular and game algorithms, keyword cluster “submodular maximization · submodular functions · monotone”
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Where it stands
Not enough benchmark data Fewer than four papers report the same benchmark, so there is no record to follow.
3 papers in 2023–24 and 4 in 2025–26 (at ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR and AAAI); its share of the topic grew, from 1.5% to 1.7%.
How this is decided
A benchmark is tracked when at least four papers of this approach report their own method on the same dataset and metric in at least two different years. Its record is the best number reported up to 2024 compared with the best reported in 2025–26: still improving means at least 1% better, flat means at most 0.2% better with at least two papers from 2025–26 trying. Numbers on a different scale from the rest (a fraction among percentages) and far outliers are left out. Results come from different papers with different setups, so they are signals, not head-to-head comparisons. The share of papers is counted at ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR and AAAI.
How it got here
Most cited paper of each year
- 2016 · DRIMUX: Dynamic Rumor Influence Minimization with User Experience in Social Networks (AAAI 2016 · 181 citations)
- 2017 · Balancing information exposure in social networks (NeurIPS 2017 · 49 citations)
- 2018 · Maximizing Activity in Ising Networks via the TAP Approximation (AAAI 2018 · 7 citations)
- 2019 · Coverage Centrality Maximization in Undirected Networks (AAAI 2019 · 22 citations)
- 2020 · Balancing Spreads of Influence in a Social Network (AAAI 2020 · 19 citations)
- 2021 · Fair Influence Maximization: a Welfare Optimization Approach (AAAI 2021 · 66 citations)
- 2022 · Fixation Maximization in the Positional Moran Process (AAAI 2022 · 10 citations)
- 2023 · Diversity Maximization in the Presence of Outliers (AAAI 2023 · 6 citations)
- 2024 · Motif-oriented influence maximization for viral marketing in large-scale social networks (NeurIPS 2024 · 2 citations)
- 2025 · A Thorough Comparison Between Independent Cascade and Susceptible-Infected-Recovered Models (AAAI 2025 · 8 citations)
- 2026 · City Sampling for Citizens’ Assemblies (AAAI 2026 · 1 citation)
Earliest papers here
- DRIMUX: Dynamic Rumor Influence Minimization with User Experience in Social Networks (AAAI 2016 · 181 citations)
- Fast Optimal Clearing of Capped-Chain Barter Exchanges (AAAI 2016 · 20 citations)
- Maximizing Influence in an Ising Network: A Mean-Field Optimal Solution (NeurIPS 2016 · 16 citations)
What has been tried
28 papers here report 195 measured changes (a component added, removed or swapped, compared with a baseline): helped 58%, no clear effect 12%, hurt 21%, mixed 9%. Papers mostly publish changes that helped, so "helped" is over-represented.
Ablations in recent papers
| What was changed | Measured on | Result | Effect | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase the hyperparameter-space radius B | Networks evaluated with varying B · minimum influence spread | Hurt | Hyperparametric Robust and Dynamic Influence Maximization (AAAI 2025 · 4 citations) |
Recent preprints
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Related approaches
Same keyword cluster
- Monotone submodular maximization (116 papers)
- Streaming submodular algorithms (73 papers)
Elsewhere in the topic
- Fair division of indivisible goods (130 papers)
- Committee voting rules (120 papers)
- Matching markets and welfare (119 papers)
- Opponent modeling and subgame solving (116 papers)
- Zero-sum game learning dynamics (107 papers)
- Learned auction design (105 papers)
- Correlated equilibria in sequential games (86 papers)
- Equilibrium solvers for adversarial games (25 papers)
Benchmark numbers, ablations and baseline numbers are extracted by AI from each paper's full text and can be wrong; the paper is the authority. Data: results index of 2026-11-02, citation counts from OpenAlex (2026-10-09).