This paper addresses the critical disconnect between prediction and decision quality in portfolio optimization by integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) with decision-focused learning. We demonstrate both theoretically and empirically that minimizing the prediction error alone leads to suboptimal portfolio decisions. We aim to exploit the representational power of LLMs for investment decisions. An attention mechanism processes asset relationships, temporal dependencies, and macro variables, which are then directly integrated into a portfolio optimization layer. This enables the model to capture complex market dynamics and align predictions with the decision objectives. Extensive experiments on S\&P100 and DOW30 datasets show that our model consistently outperforms state-of-the-art deep learning models. In addition, gradient-based analyses show that our model prioritizes the assets most crucial to decision making, thus mitigating the effects of prediction errors on portfolio performance. These findings underscore the value of integrating decision objectives into predictions for more robust and context-aware portfolio management.
Which functions can be used as activations in deep neural networks? This article explores families of functions based on orthonormal bases, including the Hermite polynomial basis and the Fourier trigonometric basis, as well as a basis resulting from the tropicalization of a polynomial basis. Our study shows that, through simple variance-preserving initialization and without additional clamping mechanisms, these activations can successfully be used to train deep models, such as GPT-2 for next-token prediction on OpenWebText and ConvNeXt for image classification on ImageNet. Our work addresses the issue of exploding and vanishing activations and gradients, particularly prevalent with polynomial activations, and opens the door for improving the efficiency of large-scale learning tasks. Furthermore, our approach provides insight into the structure of neural networks, revealing that networks with polynomial activations can be interpreted as multivariate polynomial mappings. Finally, using Hermite interpolation, we show that our activations can closely approximate classical ones in pre-trained models by matching both the function and its derivative, making them especially useful for fine-tuning tasks. These activations are available in the torchortho library, which can be accessed via: https://github.com/K-H-Ismail/torchortho.
With the rise of social media, misinformation has become increasingly prevalent, fueled largely by the spread of rumors. This study explores the use of Large Language Model (LLM) agents within a novel framework to simulate and analyze the dynamics of rumor propagation across social networks. To this end, we design a variety of LLM-based agent types and construct four distinct network structures to conduct these simulations. Our framework assesses the effectiveness of different network constructions and agent behaviors in influencing the spread of rumors. Our results demonstrate that the framework can simulate rumor spreading across more than one hundred agents in various networks with thousands of edges. The evaluations indicate that network structure, personas, and spreading schemes can significantly influence rumor dissemination, ranging from no spread to affecting 83\% of agents in iterations, thereby offering a realistic simulation of rumor spread in social networks.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is widely used in aerospace, energy, and biology to model fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical reactions. While Large Language Models (LLMs) have transformed various domains, their application in CFD remains limited, particularly for complex tasks like post-processing. To bridge this gap, we introduce MetaOpenFOAM 2.0, which leverages Chain of Thought (COT) decomposition and iterative verification to enhance accessibility for non-expert users through natural language inputs. Tested on a new benchmark covering simulation (fluid flow, heat transfer, combustion) and post-processing (extraction, visualization), MetaOpenFOAM 2.0 achieved an Executability score of 6.3/7 and a pass rate of 86.9%, significantly outperforming MetaOpenFOAM 1.0 (2.1/7, 0%). Additionally, it proved cost-efficient, averaging $0.15 per case. An ablation study confirmed that COT-driven decomposition and iterative refinement substantially improved task performance. Furthermore, scaling laws showed that increasing COT steps enhanced accuracy while raising token usage, aligning with LLM post-training scaling trends. These results highlight the transformative potential of LLMs in automating CFD workflows for industrial and research applications. Code is available at https://github.com/Terry-cyx/MetaOpenFOAM
Recent developments in Large Language Model (LLM) agents are revolutionizing Autonomous Software Engineering (ASE), enabling automated coding, problem fixes, and feature improvements. However, localization -- precisely identifying software problems by navigating to relevant code sections -- remains a significant challenge. Current approaches often yield suboptimal results due to a lack of effective integration between LLM agents and precise code search mechanisms. This paper introduces OrcaLoca, an LLM agent framework that improves accuracy for software issue localization by integrating priority-based scheduling for LLM-guided action, action decomposition with relevance scoring, and distance-aware context pruning. Experimental results demonstrate that OrcaLoca becomes the new open-source state-of-the-art (SOTA) in function match rate (65.33%) on SWE-bench Lite. It also improves the final resolved rate of an open-source framework by 6.33 percentage points through its patch generation integration.
Neural audio codecs have been widely adopted in audio-generative tasks because their compact and discrete representations are suitable for both large-language-model-style and regression-based generative models. However, most neural codecs struggle to model out-of-domain audio, resulting in error propagations to downstream generative tasks. In this paper, we first argue that information loss from codec compression degrades out-of-domain robustness. Then, we propose full-band 48~kHz ComplexDec with complex spectral input and output to ease the information loss while adopting the same 24~kbps bitrate as the baseline AuidoDec and ScoreDec. Objective and subjective evaluations demonstrate the out-of-domain robustness of ComplexDec trained using only the 30-hour VCTK corpus.
Large language models have achieved remarkable success in various tasks but suffer from high computational costs during inference, limiting their deployment in resource-constrained applications. To address this issue, we propose a novel Collaborative Inference with Token-lEvel Routing (CITER) framework that enables efficient collaboration between small and large language models (SLMs \& LLMs) through a token-level routing strategy. Specifically, CITER routes non-critical tokens to an SLM for efficiency and routes critical tokens to an LLM for generalization quality. We formulate router training as a policy optimization, where the router receives rewards based on both the quality of predictions and the inference costs of generation. This allows the router to learn to predict token-level routing scores and make routing decisions based on both the current token and the future impact of its decisions. To further accelerate the reward evaluation process, we introduce a shortcut which significantly reduces the costs of the reward estimation and improving the practicality of our approach. Extensive experiments on five benchmark datasets demonstrate that CITER reduces the inference costs while preserving high-quality generation, offering a promising solution for real-time and resource-constrained applications. Our data and code are available at https://github.com/aiming-lab/CITER.
The rise of Agent AI and Large Language Model-powered Multi-Agent Systems (LLM-MAS) has underscored the need for responsible and dependable system operation. Tools like LangChain and Retrieval-Augmented Generation have expanded LLM capabilities, enabling deeper integration into MAS through enhanced knowledge retrieval and reasoning. However, these advancements introduce critical challenges: LLM agents exhibit inherent unpredictability, and uncertainties in their outputs can compound across interactions, threatening system stability. To address these risks, a human-centered design approach with active dynamic moderation is essential. Such an approach enhances traditional passive oversight by facilitating coherent inter-agent communication and effective system governance, allowing MAS to achieve desired outcomes more efficiently.
The introduction of robots into everyday scenarios necessitates algorithms capable of monitoring the execution of tasks. In this paper, we propose ConditionNET, an approach for learning the preconditions and effects of actions in a fully data-driven manner. We develop an efficient vision-language model and introduce additional optimization objectives during training to optimize for consistent feature representations. ConditionNET explicitly models the dependencies between actions, preconditions, and effects, leading to improved performance. We evaluate our model on two robotic datasets, one of which we collected for this paper, containing 406 successful and 138 failed teleoperated demonstrations of a Franka Emika Panda robot performing tasks like pouring and cleaning the counter. We show in our experiments that ConditionNET outperforms all baselines on both anomaly detection and phase prediction tasks. Furthermore, we implement an action monitoring system on a real robot to demonstrate the practical applicability of the learned preconditions and effects. Our results highlight the potential of ConditionNET for enhancing the reliability and adaptability of robots in real-world environments. The data is available on the project website: https://dsliwowski1.github.io/ConditionNET_page.
As large language models (LLMs) continue to scale, their inference demands present significant challenges, particularly due to the high power consumption of AI accelerators in datacenters. These facilities require specialized cooling and power management systems, substantially increasing the total cost of ownership (TCO) for cloud service providers (CSPs). In this work, we analyze the computational characteristics and constraints of LLM inference from a TCO perspective, focusing on two representative accelerators: the Gaudi 2 and NVIDIA H100. We present a generalizable framework that enables CSPs to compare and select AI accelerators according to diverse operational requirements. Using this model, we analyze the impact of FP8 precision and LLM inference workload characteristics as key factors influencing TCO. We investigate FP8 quantization, which is gaining adoption in LLM training, as a technique to improve inference throughput while maintaining cost efficiency. Furthermore, our analysis of LLM inference workloads reveals that performance on thin GEMMs, which dominate the decode phase, can have a greater impact than theoretical hardware peak performance. By studying the interaction between power consumption, quantization strategies, and hardware architecture, we offer insights that support informed deployment decisions and guide future accelerator designs to improve the TCO of LLM inference.
Hand-drawn maps can be used to convey navigation instructions between humans and robots in a natural and efficient manner. However, these maps can often contain inaccuracies such as scale distortions and missing landmarks which present challenges for mobile robot navigation. This paper introduces a novel Hand-drawn Map Navigation (HAM-Nav) architecture that leverages pre-trained vision language models (VLMs) for robot navigation across diverse environments, hand-drawing styles, and robot embodiments, even in the presence of map inaccuracies. HAM-Nav integrates a unique Selective Visual Association Prompting approach for topological map-based position estimation and navigation planning as well as a Predictive Navigation Plan Parser to infer missing landmarks. Extensive experiments were conducted in photorealistic simulated environments, using both wheeled and legged robots, demonstrating the effectiveness of HAM-Nav in terms of navigation success rates and Success weighted by Path Length. Furthermore, a user study in real-world environments highlighted the practical utility of hand-drawn maps for robot navigation as well as successful navigation outcomes compared against a non-hand-drawn map approach.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have significantly advanced natural language processing applications, yet their widespread use raises concerns regarding inherent biases that may reduce utility or harm for particular social groups. Despite the advancement in addressing LLM bias, existing research has two major limitations. First, existing LLM bias evaluation focuses on the U.S. cultural context, making it challenging to reveal stereotypical biases of LLMs toward other cultures, leading to unfair development and use of LLMs. Second, current bias evaluation often assumes models are familiar with the target social groups. When LLMs encounter words beyond their knowledge boundaries that are unfamiliar in their training data, they produce irrelevant results in the local context due to hallucinations and overconfidence, which are not necessarily indicative of inherent bias. This research addresses these limitations with a Local Integrated Bias Recognition and Assessment Framework (LIBRA) for measuring bias using datasets sourced from local corpora without crowdsourcing. Implementing this framework, we develop a dataset comprising over 360,000 test cases in the New Zealand context. Furthermore, we propose the Enhanced Idealized CAT Score (EiCAT), integrating the iCAT score with a beyond knowledge boundary score (bbs) and a distribution divergence-based bias measurement to tackle the challenge of LLMs encountering words beyond knowledge boundaries. Our results show that the BERT family, GPT-2, and Llama-3 models seldom understand local words in different contexts. While Llama-3 exhibits larger bias, it responds better to different cultural contexts. The code and dataset are available at: https://github.com/ipangbo/LIBRA.
We present a theoretical framework showing that popular LLM alignment methods, including RLHF and its variants, can be understood as divergence estimators between aligned (safe or preferred) and unaligned (harmful or less preferred) distributions. This perspective explains the emergence of separation in the latent space between safe and harmful prompts after alignment. As an application of our general divergence framework, we propose KLDO, a novel KL divergence-based alignment method, and empirically validate its effectiveness. We further show that using compliance-refusal datasets, rather than standard preference-based datasets, leads to stronger separation and improved safety alignment. Finally, to quantify the separation effect, we propose a distance-based metric in the prompt representation space, which also acts as a statistically significant indicator for model safety.
Token filtering has been proposed to enhance utility of large language models (LLMs) by eliminating inconsequential tokens during training. While using fewer tokens should reduce computational workloads, existing studies have not succeeded in achieving higher efficiency. This is primarily due to the insufficient sparsity caused by filtering tokens only in the output layers, as well as inefficient sparse GEMM (General Matrix Multiplication), even when having sufficient sparsity. This paper presents Collider, a system unleashing the full efficiency of token filtering in LLM training. At its core, Collider filters activations of inconsequential tokens across all layers to maintain sparsity. Additionally, it features an automatic workflow that transforms sparse GEMM into dimension-reduced dense GEMM for optimized efficiency. Evaluations on three LLMs-TinyLlama-1.1B, Qwen2.5-1.5B, and Phi1.5-1.4B-demonstrate that Collider reduces backpropagation time by up to 35.1% and end-to-end training time by up to 22.0% when filtering 40% of tokens. Utility assessments of training TinyLlama on 15B tokens indicate that Collider sustains the utility advancements of token filtering by relatively improving model utility by 16.3% comparing to regular training, and reduces training time from 4.7 days to 3.5 days using 8 GPUs. Collider is designed for easy integration into existing LLM training frameworks, allowing systems already using token filtering to accelerate training with just one line of code.
This study examines the potential of large language models (LLMs) to augment the academic peer review process by reliably evaluating the quality of economics research without introducing systematic bias. We conduct one of the first large-scale experimental assessments of four LLMs (GPT-4o, Claude 3.5, Gemma 3, and LLaMA 3.3) across two complementary experiments. In the first, we use nonparametric binscatter and linear regression techniques to analyze over 29,000 evaluations of 1,220 anonymized papers drawn from 110 economics journals excluded from the training data of current LLMs, along with a set of AI-generated submissions. The results show that LLMs consistently distinguish between higher- and lower-quality research based solely on textual content, producing quality gradients that closely align with established journal prestige measures. Claude and Gemma perform exceptionally well in capturing these gradients, while GPT excels in detecting AI-generated content. The second experiment comprises 8,910 evaluations designed to assess whether LLMs replicate human like biases in single blind reviews. By systematically varying author gender, institutional affiliation, and academic prominence across 330 papers, we find that GPT, Gemma, and LLaMA assign significantly higher ratings to submissions from top male authors and elite institutions relative to the same papers presented anonymously. These results emphasize the importance of excluding author-identifying information when deploying LLMs in editorial screening. Overall, our findings provide compelling evidence and practical guidance for integrating LLMs into peer review to enhance efficiency, improve accuracy, and promote equity in the publication process of economics research.
Large language models (LLMs) have shown remarkable success in language modelling due to scaling laws found in model size and the hidden dimension of the model's text representation. Yet, we demonstrate that compressed representations of text can yield better performance in LLM-based regression tasks. In this paper, we compare the relative performance of embedding compression in three different signal-to-noise contexts: financial return prediction, writing quality assessment and review scoring. Our results show that compressing embeddings, in a minimally supervised manner using an autoencoder's hidden representation, can mitigate overfitting and improve performance on noisy tasks, such as financial return prediction; but that compression reduces performance on tasks that have high causal dependencies between the input and target data. Our results suggest that the success of interpretable compressed representations such as sentiment may be due to a regularising effect.
We present EditIQ, a completely automated framework for cinematically editing scenes captured via a stationary, large field-of-view and high-resolution camera. From the static camera feed, EditIQ initially generates multiple virtual feeds, emulating a team of cameramen. These virtual camera shots termed rushes are subsequently assembled using an automated editing algorithm, whose objective is to present the viewer with the most vivid scene content. To understand key scene elements and guide the editing process, we employ a two-pronged approach: (1) a large language model (LLM)-based dialogue understanding module to analyze conversational flow, coupled with (2) visual saliency prediction to identify meaningful scene elements and camera shots therefrom. We then formulate cinematic video editing as an energy minimization problem over shot selection, where cinematic constraints determine shot choices, transitions, and continuity. EditIQ synthesizes an aesthetically and visually compelling representation of the original narrative while maintaining cinematic coherence and a smooth viewing experience. Efficacy of EditIQ against competing baselines is demonstrated via a psychophysical study involving twenty participants on the BBC Old School dataset plus eleven theatre performance videos. Video samples from EditIQ can be found at https://editiq-ave.github.io/.
Discrete diffusion models have recently gained significant attention due to their ability to process complex discrete structures for language modeling. However, fine-tuning these models with policy gradient methods, as is commonly done in Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF), remains a challenging task. We propose an efficient, broadly applicable, and theoretically justified policy gradient algorithm, called Score Entropy Policy Optimization (SEPO), for fine-tuning discrete diffusion models over non-differentiable rewards. Our numerical experiments across several discrete generative tasks demonstrate the scalability and efficiency of our method. Our code is available at https://github.com/ozekri/SEPO.
Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) has emerged as a pivotal technique for large language model (LLM) alignment. This paper studies the setting of online RLHF and focus on improving sample efficiency. All existing algorithms in online RLHF, whether doing passive exploration or active exploration, suffer from a sample complexity that scales exponentially with the scale of the reward function. This fundamental limitation hinders their effectiveness in scenarios with heavily skewed preferences, e.g. questions with a unique correct solution. To address this, we introduce Self-Exploring Preference-Incentive Online Preference Optimization (SE-POPO), an online RLHF algorithm that for the first time achieves a sample complexity that scales polynomially with the reward scale, answering an open problem raised by Xie et al. (2024).. Theoretically, we demonstrate that the sample complexity of SE-POPO dominates that of existing exploration algorithms. Empirically, our systematic evaluation confirms that SE-POPO is more sample-efficient than both exploratory and non-exploratory baselines, in two primary application scenarios of RLHF as well as on public benchmarks, marking a significant step forward in RLHF algorithm design.
Large pretrained models can be used as annotators, helping replace or augment crowdworkers and enabling distilling generalist models into smaller specialist models. Unfortunately, this comes at a cost: employing top-of-the-line models often requires paying thousands of dollars for API calls, while the resulting datasets are static and challenging to audit. To address these challenges, we propose a simple alternative: rather than directly querying labels from pretrained models, we task models to generate programs that can produce labels. These programs can be stored and applied locally, re-used and extended, and cost orders of magnitude less. Our system, Alchemist, obtains comparable to or better performance than large language model-based annotation in a range of tasks for a fraction of the cost: on average, improvements amount to a 12.9% enhancement while the total labeling costs across all datasets are reduced by a factor of approximately 500x.