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 Keele


Insights on Adversarial Attacks for Tabular Machine Learning via a Systematic Literature Review

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Adversarial attacks in machine learning have been extensively reviewed in areas like computer vision and NLP, but research on tabular data remains scattered. This paper provides the first systematic literature review focused on adversarial attacks targeting tabular machine learning models. We highlight key trends, categorize attack strategies and analyze how they address practical considerations for real-world applicability. Additionally, we outline current challenges and open research questions. By offering a clear and structured overview, this review aims to guide future efforts in understanding and addressing adversarial vulnerabilities in tabular machine learning.


Junior Software Developers' Perspectives on Adopting LLMs for Software Engineering: a Systematic Literature Review

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Many studies exploring the adoption of Large Language Model-based tools for software development by junior developers have emerged in recent years. These studies have sought to understand developers' perspectives about using those tools, a fundamental pillar for successfully adopting LLM-based tools in Software Engineering. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of junior software developers' perspectives and use of LLM-based tools for software engineering (LLM4SE). We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) following guidelines by Kitchenham et al. on 56 primary studies, applying the definition for junior software developers as software developers with equal or less than five years of experience, including Computer Science/Software Engineering students. We found that the majority of the studies focused on comprehending the different aspects of integrating AI tools in SE. Only 8.9\% of the studies provide a clear definition for junior software developers, and there is no uniformity. Searching for relevant information is the most common task using LLM tools. ChatGPT was the most common LLM tool present in the studies (and experiments). A majority of the studies (83.9\%) report both positive and negative perceptions about the impact of adopting LLM tools. We also found and categorised advantages, challenges, and recommendations regarding LLM adoption. Our results indicate that developers are using LLMs not just for code generation, but also to improve their development skills. Critically, they are not just experiencing the benefits of adopting LLM tools, but they are also aware of at least a few LLM limitations, such as the generation of wrong suggestions, potential data leaking, and AI hallucination. Our findings offer implications for software engineering researchers, educators, and developers.


Mind the Gap! Static and Interactive Evaluations of Large Audio Models

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

As AI chatbots become ubiquitous, voice interaction presents a compelling way to enable rapid, high-bandwidth communication for both semantic and social signals. This has driven research into Large Audio Models (LAMs) to power voice-native experiences. However, aligning LAM development with user goals requires a clear understanding of user needs and preferences to establish reliable progress metrics. This study addresses these challenges by introducing an interactive approach to evaluate LAMs and collecting 7,500 LAM interactions from 484 participants. Through topic modeling of user queries, we identify primary use cases for audio interfaces. We then analyze user preference rankings and qualitative feedback to determine which models best align with user needs. Finally, we evaluate how static benchmarks predict interactive performance - our analysis reveals no individual benchmark strongly correlates with interactive results ($\tau \leq 0.33$ for all benchmarks). While combining multiple coarse-grained features yields modest predictive power ($R^2$=$0.30$), only two out of twenty datasets on spoken question answering and age prediction show significantly positive correlations. This suggests a clear need to develop LAM evaluations that better correlate with user preferences.


SoK: A Classification for AI-driven Personalized Privacy Assistants

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

To help users make privacy-related decisions, personalized privacy assistants based on AI technology have been developed in recent years. These AI-driven Personalized Privacy Assistants (AI-driven PPAs) can reap significant benefits for users, who may otherwise struggle to make decisions regarding their personal data in environments saturated with privacy-related decision requests. However, no study systematically inquired about the features of these AI-driven PPAs, their underlying technologies, or the accuracy of their decisions. To fill this gap, we present a Systematization of Knowledge (SoK) to map the existing solutions found in the scientific literature. We screened 1697 unique research papers over the last decade (2013-2023), constructing a classification from 39 included papers. As a result, this SoK reviews several aspects of existing research on AI-driven PPAs in terms of types of publications, contributions, methodological quality, and other quantitative insights. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive classification for AI-driven PPAs, delving into their architectural choices, system contexts, types of AI used, data sources, types of decisions, and control over decisions, among other facets. Based on our SoK, we further underline the research gaps and challenges and formulate recommendations for the design and development of AI-driven PPAs as well as avenues for future research.


Large Language Model for Qualitative Research -- A Systematic Mapping Study

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

The exponential growth of text-based data in domains such as healthcare, education, and social sciences has outpaced the capacity of traditional qualitative analysis methods, which are time-intensive and prone to subjectivity. Large Language Models (LLMs), powered by advanced generative AI, have emerged as transformative tools capable of automating and enhancing qualitative analysis. This study systematically maps the literature on the use of LLMs for qualitative research, exploring their application contexts, configurations, methodologies, and evaluation metrics. Findings reveal that LLMs are utilized across diverse fields, demonstrating the potential to automate processes traditionally requiring extensive human input. However, challenges such as reliance on prompt engineering, occasional inaccuracies, and contextual limitations remain significant barriers. This research highlights opportunities for integrating LLMs with human expertise, improving model robustness, and refining evaluation methodologies. By synthesizing trends and identifying research gaps, this study aims to guide future innovations in the application of LLMs for qualitative analysis.


Non-overlapping, Schwarz-type Domain Decomposition Method for Physics and Equality Constrained Artificial Neural Networks

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

We present a non-overlapping, Schwarz-type domain decomposition method with a generalized interface condition, designed for physics-informed machine learning of partial differential equations (PDEs) in both forward and inverse contexts. Our approach employs physics and equality-constrained artificial neural networks (PECANN) within each subdomain. Unlike the original PECANN method, which relies solely on initial and boundary conditions to constrain PDEs, our method uses both boundary conditions and the governing PDE to constrain a unique interface loss function for each subdomain. This modification improves the learning of subdomain-specific interface parameters while reducing communication overhead by delaying information exchange between neighboring subdomains. To address the constrained optimization in each subdomain, we apply an augmented Lagrangian method with a conditionally adaptive update strategy, transforming the problem into an unconstrained dual optimization. A distinct advantage of our domain decomposition method is its ability to learn solutions to both Poisson's and Helmholtz equations, even in cases with high-wavenumber and complex-valued solutions. Through numerical experiments with up to 64 subdomains, we demonstrate that our method consistently generalizes well as the number of subdomains increases.


Transfer Learning Applied to Computer Vision Problems: Survey on Current Progress, Limitations, and Opportunities

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

The field of Computer Vision (CV) has faced challenges. Initially, it relied on handcrafted features and rule-based algorithms, resulting in limited accuracy. The introduction of machine learning (ML) has brought progress, particularly Transfer Learning (TL), which addresses various CV problems by reusing pre-trained models. TL requires less data and computing while delivering nearly equal accuracy, making it a prominent technique in the CV landscape. Our research focuses on TL development and how CV applications use it to solve real-world problems. We discuss recent developments, limitations, and opportunities.


Multimodal Methods for Analyzing Learning and Training Environments: A Systematic Literature Review

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Recent technological advancements have enhanced our ability to collect and analyze rich multimodal data (e.g., speech, video, and eye gaze) to better inform learning and training experiences. While previous reviews have focused on parts of the multimodal pipeline (e.g., conceptual models and data fusion), a comprehensive literature review on the methods informing multimodal learning and training environments has not been conducted. This literature review provides an in-depth analysis of research methods in these environments, proposing a taxonomy and framework that encapsulates recent methodological advances in this field and characterizes the multimodal domain in terms of five modality groups: Natural Language, Video, Sensors, Human-Centered, and Environment Logs. We introduce a novel data fusion category -- mid fusion -- and a graph-based technique for refining literature reviews, termed citation graph pruning. Our analysis reveals that leveraging multiple modalities offers a more holistic understanding of the behaviors and outcomes of learners and trainees. Even when multimodality does not enhance predictive accuracy, it often uncovers patterns that contextualize and elucidate unimodal data, revealing subtleties that a single modality may miss. However, there remains a need for further research to bridge the divide between multimodal learning and training studies and foundational AI research.


Exploring the Potential of Large Language Models for Improving Digital Forensic Investigation Efficiency

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

The growing number of cases that require digital forensic analysis raises concerns about the ability of law enforcement to conduct investigations promptly. Consequently, this paper delves into the potential and effectiveness of integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) into digital forensic investigation to address these challenges. A comprehensive literature review is carried out, encompassing existing digital forensic models, tools, LLMs, deep learning techniques, and the use of LLMs in investigations. The review identifies current challenges within existing digital forensic processes and explores both the obstacles and possibilities of incorporating LLMs. In conclusion, the study asserts that the adoption of LLMs in digital forensics, with appropriate constraints, has the potential to improve investigation efficiency, improve traceability, and alleviate technical and judicial barriers faced by law enforcement entities.


Explainable AI for Safe and Trustworthy Autonomous Driving: A Systematic Review

arXiv.org Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) shows promising applications for the perception and planning tasks in autonomous driving (AD) due to its superior performance compared to conventional methods. However, inscrutable AI systems exacerbate the existing challenge of safety assurance of AD. One way to mitigate this challenge is to utilize explainable AI (XAI) techniques. To this end, we present the first comprehensive systematic literature review of explainable methods for safe and trustworthy AD. We begin by analyzing the requirements for AI in the context of AD, focusing on three key aspects: data, model, and agency. We find that XAI is fundamental to meeting these requirements. Based on this, we explain the sources of explanations in AI and describe a taxonomy of XAI. We then identify five key contributions of XAI for safe and trustworthy AI in AD, which are interpretable design, interpretable surrogate models, interpretable monitoring, auxiliary explanations, and interpretable validation. Finally, we propose a modular framework called SafeX to integrate these contributions, enabling explanation delivery to users while simultaneously ensuring the safety of AI models.