  We build on auto-encoding sequential Monte Carlo (AESMC): a method for model
and proposal learning based on maximizing the lower bound to the log marginal
likelihood in a broad family of structured probabilistic models. Our approach
relies on the efficiency of sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) for performing
inference in structured probabilistic models and the flexibility of deep neural
networks to model complex conditional probability distributions. We develop
additional theoretical insights and introduce a new training procedure which
improves both model and proposal learning. We demonstrate that our approach
provides a fast, easy-to-implement and scalable means for simultaneous model
learning and proposal adaptation in deep generative models.
