Techniques are described for training and evaluating a proximal factorization machine engine. In one or more embodiments, the engine receives a set of training data that identifies a set of actions taken by a plurality of users with respect to a plurality of items. The engine generates, for a prediction model, (a) a first set of model parameters representing relationships between features of the plurality of users and the set of actions, and (b) a second set of model parameters representing interactions between different features of the plurality of users and the plurality of items. For each respective item in a plurality of items, the engine computes a probabilistic score based on the model parameters. The engine selects and presents a subset of items based on the probabilistic scores.