Determining a likelihood of a user interaction with a content element

Described herein is a system that transmits and combines local models, that individually comprise a set of local parameters computed via stochastic gradient descent (SGD), into a global model that comprises a set of global model parameters. The local models are computed in parallel at different geographic locations along with symbolic representations. The symbolic representations can be used to combine the local models. The global model can determine a likelihood, given a new data instance of a feature set, that a user performs a computer interaction with the content element. For instance, the system can use the model to provide search results in response to a search query submitted by a user. Or, the system can use the model to make a recommendation or suggestion to a user in response to a request for content (e.g., display a targeted advertisement, suggest a news story, etc.).