Overview
Data Quality Awareness: A Journey from Traditional Data Management to Data Science Systems
Dong, Sijie, Sahri, Soror, Palpanas, Themis
Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various fields, significantly impacting our daily lives. A major factor in AI success is high-quality data. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of the evolution of data quality (DQ) awareness from traditional data management systems to modern data-driven AI systems, which are integral to data science. We synthesize the existing literature, highlighting the quality challenges and techniques that have evolved from traditional data management to data science including big data and ML fields. As data science systems support a wide range of activities, our focus in this paper lies specifically in the analytics aspect driven by machine learning. We use the cause-effect connection between the quality challenges of ML and those of big data to allow a more thorough understanding of emerging DQ challenges and the related quality awareness techniques in data science systems. To the best of our knowledge, our paper is the first to provide a review of DQ awareness spanning traditional and emergent data science systems. We hope that readers will find this journey through the evolution of data quality awareness insightful and valuable.
Exploring the Interplay Between Video Generation and World Models in Autonomous Driving: A Survey
Fu, Ao, Zhou, Yi, Zhou, Tao, Yang, Yi, Gao, Bojun, Li, Qun, Wu, Guobin, Shao, Ling
World models and video generation are pivotal technologies in the domain of autonomous driving, each playing a critical role in enhancing the robustness and reliability of autonomous systems. World models, which simulate the dynamics of real-world environments, and video generation models, which produce realistic video sequences, are increasingly being integrated to improve situational awareness and decision-making capabilities in autonomous vehicles. This paper investigates the relationship between these two technologies, focusing on how their structural parallels, particularly in diffusion-based models, contribute to more accurate and coherent simulations of driving scenarios. We examine leading works such as JEPA, Genie, and Sora, which exemplify different approaches to world model design, thereby highlighting the lack of a universally accepted definition of world models. These diverse interpretations underscore the field's evolving understanding of how world models can be optimized for various autonomous driving tasks. Furthermore, this paper discusses the key evaluation metrics employed in this domain, such as Chamfer distance for 3D scene reconstruction and Fr\'echet Inception Distance (FID) for assessing the quality of generated video content. By analyzing the interplay between video generation and world models, this survey identifies critical challenges and future research directions, emphasizing the potential of these technologies to jointly advance the performance of autonomous driving systems. The findings presented in this paper aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of how the integration of video generation and world models can drive innovation in the development of safer and more reliable autonomous vehicles.
Revisiting Game-Theoretic Control in Socio-Technical Networks: Emerging Design Frameworks and Contemporary Applications
Socio-technical networks represent emerging cyber-physical infrastructures that are tightly interwoven with human networks. The coupling between human and technical networks presents significant challenges in managing, controlling, and securing these complex, interdependent systems. This paper investigates game-theoretic frameworks for the design and control of socio-technical networks, with a focus on critical applications such as misinformation management, infrastructure optimization, and resilience in socio-cyber-physical systems (SCPS). Core methodologies, including Stackelberg games, mechanism design, and dynamic game theory, are examined as powerful tools for modeling interactions in hierarchical, multi-agent environments. Key challenges addressed include mitigating human-driven vulnerabilities, managing large-scale system dynamics, and countering adversarial threats. By bridging individual agent behaviors with overarching system goals, this work illustrates how the integration of game theory and control theory can lead to robust, resilient, and adaptive socio-technical networks. This paper highlights the potential of these frameworks to dynamically align decentralized agent actions with system-wide objectives of stability, security, and efficiency.
Multi-Programming Language Sandbox for LLMs
Dou, Shihan, Zhang, Jiazheng, Zang, Jianxiang, Tao, Yunbo, Zhou, Weikang, Jia, Haoxiang, Liu, Shichun, Yang, Yuming, Xi, Zhiheng, Wu, Shenxi, Zhang, Shaoqing, Wu, Muling, Lv, Changze, Xiong, Limao, Zhan, Wenyu, Zhang, Lin, Weng, Rongxiang, Wang, Jingang, Cai, Xunliang, Wu, Yueming, Wen, Ming, Zheng, Rui, Ji, Tao, Cao, Yixin, Gui, Tao, Qiu, Xipeng, Zhang, Qi, Huang, Xuanjing
We introduce MPLSandbox, an out-of-the-box multi-programming language sandbox designed to provide unified and comprehensive feedback from compiler and analysis tools for Large Language Models (LLMs). It can automatically identify the programming language of the code, compiling and executing it within an isolated sub-sandbox to ensure safety and stability. In addition, MPLSandbox also integrates both traditional and LLM-based code analysis tools, providing a comprehensive analysis of generated code. MPLSandbox can be effortlessly integrated into the training and deployment of LLMs to improve the quality and correctness of their generated code. It also helps researchers streamline their workflows for various LLM-based code-related tasks, reducing the development cost. To validate the effectiveness of MPLSandbox, we integrate it into training and deployment approaches, and also employ it to optimize workflows for a wide range of real-world code-related tasks. Our goal is to enhance researcher productivity on LLM-based code-related tasks by simplifying and automating workflows through delegation to MPLSandbox.
Document Parsing Unveiled: Techniques, Challenges, and Prospects for Structured Information Extraction
Zhang, Qintong, Huang, Victor Shea-Jay, Wang, Bin, Zhang, Junyuan, Wang, Zhengren, Liang, Hao, Wang, Shawn, Lin, Matthieu, He, Conghui, Zhang, Wentao
Document parsing is essential for converting unstructured and semi-structured documents--such as contracts, academic papers, and invoices--into structured, machine-readable data. Document parsing extract reliable structured data from unstructured inputs, providing huge convenience for numerous applications. Especially with recent achievements in Large Language Models, document parsing plays an indispensable role in both knowledge base construction and training data generation. This survey presents a comprehensive review of the current state of document parsing, covering key methodologies, from modular pipeline systems to end-to-end models driven by large vision-language models. Core components such as layout detection, content extraction (including text, tables, and mathematical expressions), and multi-modal data integration are examined in detail. Additionally, this paper discusses the challenges faced by modular document parsing systems and vision-language models in handling complex layouts, integrating multiple modules, and recognizing high-density text. It emphasizes the importance of developing larger and more diverse datasets and outlines future research directions.
International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI (Interim Report)
Bengio, Yoshua, Mindermann, Sören, Privitera, Daniel, Besiroglu, Tamay, Bommasani, Rishi, Casper, Stephen, Choi, Yejin, Goldfarb, Danielle, Heidari, Hoda, Khalatbari, Leila, Longpre, Shayne, Mavroudis, Vasilios, Mazeika, Mantas, Ng, Kwan Yee, Okolo, Chinasa T., Raji, Deborah, Skeadas, Theodora, Tramèr, Florian, Adekanmbi, Bayo, Christiano, Paul, Dalrymple, David, Dietterich, Thomas G., Felten, Edward, Fung, Pascale, Gourinchas, Pierre-Olivier, Jennings, Nick, Krause, Andreas, Liang, Percy, Ludermir, Teresa, Marda, Vidushi, Margetts, Helen, McDermid, John A., Narayanan, Arvind, Nelson, Alondra, Oh, Alice, Ramchurn, Gopal, Russell, Stuart, Schaake, Marietje, Song, Dawn, Soto, Alvaro, Tiedrich, Lee, Varoquaux, Gaël, Yao, Andrew, Zhang, Ya-Qin
I am honoured to be chairing the delivery of the inaugural International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety. I am proud to publish this interim report which is the culmination of huge efforts by many experts over the six months since the work was commissioned at the Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit in November 2023. We know that advanced AI is developing very rapidly, and that there is considerable uncertainty over how these advanced AI systems might affect how we live and work in the future. AI has tremendous potential to change our lives for the better, but it also poses risks of harm. That is why having this thorough analysis of the available scientific literature and expert opinion is essential. The more we know, the better equipped we are to shape our collective destiny.
Toward Realistic Cinema: The State of the Art in Mechatronics for Modern Animatronic
Hilal, Riham M., El-Hussieny, Haitham, Nada, Ayman A.
The pursuit of realism in cinema has driven significant advancements in animatronics, where the integration of mechatronics, a multidisciplinary field that combines mechanical engineering, electronics, and computer science, plays a pivotal role in enhancing the functionality and realism of animatronics. This interdisciplinary approach facilitates smoother characters movements and enhances the sophistication of behaviors in animatronic creatures, thereby increasing their realism. This article examines the most recent developments in mechatronic technology and their significant impact on the art and engineering of animatronics in the filmmaking. It explores the sophisticated integration of system components and analyzes how these enhancements foster complexity and integration, crucial for achieving unprecedented levels of realism in modern cinema. Further, the article delves into in-depth case studies of well-known movie characters, demonstrating the practical applicability of these state-of-the-art mechatronic solutions in creating compelling, lifelike cinematic experiences. This paper aims to bridge the gap between the technical aspects of mechatronics and the creative demands of the film industry, ultimately contributing to the ongoing evolution of cinematic realism.
Generative Artificial Intelligence Meets Synthetic Aperture Radar: A Survey
Huang, Zhongling, Zhang, Xidan, Tang, Zuqian, Xu, Feng, Datcu, Mihai, Han, Junwei
SAR images possess unique attributes that present challenges for both human observers and vision AI models to interpret, owing to their electromagnetic characteristics. The interpretation of SAR images encounters various hurdles, with one of the primary obstacles being the data itself, which includes issues related to both the quantity and quality of the data. The challenges can be addressed using generative AI technologies. Generative AI, often known as GenAI, is a very advanced and powerful technology in the field of artificial intelligence that has gained significant attention. The advancement has created possibilities for the creation of texts, photorealistic pictures, videos, and material in various modalities. This paper aims to comprehensively investigate the intersection of GenAI and SAR. First, we illustrate the common data generation-based applications in SAR field and compare them with computer vision tasks, analyzing the similarity, difference, and general challenges of them. Then, an overview of the latest GenAI models is systematically reviewed, including various basic models and their variations targeting the general challenges. Additionally, the corresponding applications in SAR domain are also included. Specifically, we propose to summarize the physical model based simulation approaches for SAR, and analyze the hybrid modeling methods that combine the GenAI and interpretable models. The evaluation methods that have been or could be applied to SAR, are also explored. Finally, the potential challenges and future prospects are discussed. To our best knowledge, this survey is the first exhaustive examination of the interdiscipline of SAR and GenAI, encompassing a wide range of topics, including deep neural networks, physical models, computer vision, and SAR images. The resources of this survey are open-source at \url{https://github.com/XAI4SAR/GenAIxSAR}.
Distributionally Robust Optimization
Kuhn, Daniel, Shafiee, Soroosh, Wiesemann, Wolfram
With its early roots in the development of calculus by Isaac Newton, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Pierre de Ferma t and others in the late 17th century, mathematical optimization has a rich his tory that involves contributions from numerous mathematicians, economists, eng ineers, and scientists. The birth of modern mathematical optimization is commonly c redited to George Dantzig, whose simplex algorithm developed in 1947 solves l inear optimization problems where ℓ is affine and X is a polyhedron ( Dantzig 1956). Subsequent milestones include the development of the rich theory of convex a nalysis ( Rockafellar 1970) as well as the discovery of polynomial-time solution metho ds for linear ( Khachiyan 1979, Karmarkar 1984) and broad classes of nonlinear convex optimization problems ( Nesterov and Nemirovskii 1994). Classical optimization problems are deterministic, that is, all problem data are assumed to be known with certainty. However, most decision pro blems encountered in practice depend on parameters that are corrupted by measu rement errors or that are revealed only after a decision must be determined and committed. A naïve approach to model uncertainty-affected decision problems a s deterministic optimization problems would be to replace all uncertain paramete rs with their expected values or with appropriate point predictions. However, it h as long been known and well-documented that decision-makers who replace an un certain parameter of an optimization problem with its mean value fall victim to th e'flaw of averages' ( Savage, Scholtes and Zweidler 2006, Savage 2012).
Optimization Algorithm Design via Electric Circuits
Boyd, Stephen P., Parshakova, Tetiana, Ryu, Ernest K., Suh, Jaewook J.
We present a novel methodology for convex optimization algorithm design using ideas from electric RLC circuits. Given an optimization problem, the first stage of the methodology is to design an appropriate electric circuit whose continuous-time dynamics converge to the solution of the optimization problem at hand. Then, the second stage is an automated, computer-assisted discretization of the continuous-time dynamics, yielding a provably convergent discrete-time algorithm. Our methodology recovers many classical (distributed) optimization algorithms and enables users to quickly design and explore a wide range of new algorithms with convergence guarantees.