Large Language Models (LLMs) with strong abilities in natural language processing tasks have emerged and have been applied in various kinds of areas such as science, finance and software engineering.

The remarkable performance of Large Language Models (LLMs) can be enhanced with test-time computation, which relies on external tools and even other deep learning models. However, existing approaches for integrating non-text modality representations into LLMs typically require additional costly supervised training, restricting on-the-fly adaptation to new domains and modalities. In this work, we explore the feasibility of integrating representations from non-text foundational models (FMs) into text-based LLMs in a training-free manner. We propose In-Context Representation Learning (ICRL) as a proof-of-concept to allow LLMs to adaptively utilize non-text modality representations with few-shot learning. Unlike traditional in-context learning, which incorporates text-label pairs, ICRL replaces text inputs with FM representations, enabling the LLM to perform multi-modal inference without fine-tuning. We evaluate ICRL on a suite of tasks in the molecular domain, investigating three core research questions: (i) how to map FM representations into LLMs in a training-free manner, (ii) what factors influence ICRL performance, and (iii) what mechanisms underlie the effectiveness of ICRL. To the best of our knowledge, ICRL is the first training-free framework for integrating non-text modality representations into text-based LLMs, presenting a promising direction for adaptable, multi-modal generalization.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are transforming language sciences. However, their widespread deployment currently suffers from methodological fragmentation and a lack of systematic soundness. This study proposes two comprehensive methodological frameworks designed to guide the strategic and responsible application of LLMs in language sciences. The first method-selection framework defines and systematizes three distinct, complementary approaches, each linked to a specific research goal: (1) prompt-based interaction with general-use models for exploratory analysis and hypothesis generation; (2) fine-tuning of open-source models for confirmatory, theory-driven investigation and high-quality data generation; and (3) extraction of contextualized embeddings for further quantitative analysis and probing of model internal mechanisms. We detail the technical implementation and inherent trade-offs of each method, supported by empirical case studies. Based on the method-selection framework, the second systematic framework proposed provides constructed configurations that guide the practical implementation of multi-stage research pipelines based on these approaches. We then conducted a series of empirical experiments to validate our proposed framework, employing retrospective analysis, prospective application, and an expert evaluation survey. By enforcing the strategic alignment of research questions with the appropriate LLM methodology, the frameworks enable a critical paradigm shift in language science research. We believe that this system is fundamental for ensuring reproducibility, facilitating the critical evaluation of LLM mechanisms, and providing the structure necessary to move traditional linguistics from ad-hoc utility to verifiable, robust science.

As the markets for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and mixed reality (MR) headsets continue to grow, recent research has increasingly explored their integration, which enables more intuitive, immersive, and situationally aware control systems. We present IGUANA, an MR-based immersive guidance, navigation, and control system for consumer UAVs. IGUANA introduces three key elements beyond conventional control interfaces: (1) a 3D terrain map interface with draggable waypoint markers and live camera preview for high-level control, (2) a novel spatial control metaphor that uses a virtual ball as a physical analogy for low-level control, and (3) a spatial overlay that helps track the UAV when it is not visible with the naked eye or visual line of sight is interrupted. We conducted a user study to evaluate our design, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and found that (1) the 3D map interface is intuitive and easy to use, relieving users from manual control and suggesting improved accuracy and consistency with lower perceived workload relative to conventional dual-stick controller, (2) the virtual ball interface is intuitive but limited by the lack of physical feedback, and (3) the spatial overlay is very useful in enhancing the users' situational awareness.

What if users could meet their future selves today? AI-generated future selves simulate meaningful encounters with a digital twin decades in the future. As AI systems advance, combining cloned voices, age-progressed facial rendering, and autobiographical narratives, a central question emerges: Does the modality of these future selves alter their psychological and affective impact? How might a text-based chatbot, a voice-only system, or a photorealistic avatar shape present-day decisions and our feeling of connection to the future? We report a randomized controlled study (N=92) evaluating three modalities of AI-generated future selves (text, voice, avatar) against a neutral control condition. We also report a systematic model evaluation between Claude 4 and three other Large Language Models (LLMs), assessing Claude 4 across psychological and interaction dimensions and establishing conversational AI quality as a critical determinant of intervention effectiveness. All personalized modalities strengthened Future Self-Continuity (FSC), emotional well-being, and motivation compared to control, with avatar producing the largest vividness gains, yet with no significant differences between formats. Interaction quality metrics, particularly persuasiveness, realism, and user engagement, emerged as robust predictors of psychological and affective outcomes, indicating that how compelling the interaction feels matters more than the form it takes. Content analysis found thematic patterns: text emphasized career planning, while voice and avatar facilitated personal reflection. Claude 4 outperformed ChatGPT 3.5, Llama 4, and Qwen 3 in enhancing psychological, affective, and FSC outcomes.

Background: Text-to-image generation models are widely used across numerous domains. Among these models, Stable Diffusion (SD) - an open-source text-to-image generation model - has become the most popular, producing over 12 billion images annually. However, the widespread use of these models raises concerns regarding their social and environmental sustainability. Aims: To reduce the harm that SD models may have on society and the environment, we introduce SustainDiffusion, a search-based approach designed to enhance the social and environmental sustainability of SD models. Method: SustainDiffusion searches the optimal combination of hyperparameters and prompt structures that can reduce gender and ethnic bias in generated images while also lowering the energy consumption required for image generation. Importantly, SustainDiffusion maintains image quality comparable to that of the original SD model. Results: We conduct a comprehensive empirical evaluation of SustainDiffusion, testing it against six different baselines using 56 different prompts. Our results demonstrate that SustainDiffusion can reduce gender bias in SD3 by 68%, ethnic bias by 59%, and energy consumption (calculated as the sum of CPU and GPU energy) by 48%. Additionally, the outcomes produced by SustainDiffusion are consistent across multiple runs and can be generalised to various prompts. Conclusions: With SustainDiffusion, we demonstrate how enhancing the social and environmental sustainability of text-to-image generation models is possible without fine-tuning or changing the model's architecture.

Internal clustering validity indices (ICVIs) assess clustering quality without ground truth labels. Comparative studies consistently find that no single ICVI outperforms others across datasets, leaving practitioners without principled ICVI selection. We argue that inconsistent ICVI performance arises because studies evaluate them based on matching human labels rather than measuring the quality of the discovered structure in the data, using datasets without formally quantifying the structure type and quality. Structure type refers to the mathematical organisation in data that clustering aims to discover. Validity theory requires a theoretical definition of clustering quality, which depends on structure type. We demonstrate this through the first validity assessment of clustering quality measures for correlation patterns, a structure type that arises from clustering time series by correlation relationships. We formalise 23 canonical correlation patterns as the theoretical optimal clustering and use synthetic data modelling this structure with controlled perturbations to evaluate validity across content, criterion, construct, and external validity. Our findings show that Silhouette Width Criterion (SWC) and Davies-Bouldin Index (DBI) are valid for correlation patterns, whilst Calinski-Harabasz (VRC) and Pakhira-Bandyopadhyay-Maulik (PBM) indices fail. Simple Lp norm distances achieve validity, whilst correlation-specific functions fail structural, criterion, and external validity. These results differ from previous studies where VRC and PBM performed well, demonstrating that validity depends on structure type. Our structure-type-specific validation method provides both practical guidance (quality thresholds SWC>0.9, DBI<0.15) and a methodological template for establishing validity for other structure types.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) has emerged as a pillar of Trustworthy AI and aims to bring transparency in complex models that are opaque by nature. Despite the benefits of incorporating explanations in models, an urgent need is found in addressing the privacy concerns of providing this additional information to end users. In this article, we conduct a scoping review of existing literature to elicit details on the conflict between privacy and explainability. Using the standard methodology for scoping review, we extracted 57 articles from 1,943 studies published from January 2019 to December 2024. The review addresses 3 research questions to present readers with more understanding of the topic: (1) what are the privacy risks of releasing explanations in AI systems? (2) what current methods have researchers employed to achieve privacy preservation in XAI systems? (3) what constitutes a privacy preserving explanation? Based on the knowledge synthesized from the selected studies, we categorize the privacy risks and preservation methods in XAI and propose the characteristics of privacy preserving explanations to aid researchers and practitioners in understanding the requirements of XAI that is privacy compliant. Lastly, we identify the challenges in balancing privacy with other system desiderata and provide recommendations for achieving privacy preserving XAI. We expect that this review will shed light on the complex relationship of privacy and explainability, both being the fundamental principles of Trustworthy AI.

The rapid rise of AI-generated art has sparked debate about potential biases in how audiences perceive and evaluate such works. This study investigates how composer information and listener characteristics shape the perception of AI-generated music, adopting a mixed-method approach. Using a diverse set of stimuli across various genres from two AI music models, we examine effects of perceived authorship on liking and emotional responses, and explore how attitudes toward AI, personality traits, and music-related variables influence evaluations. We further assess the influence of perceived humanness and analyze open-ended responses to uncover listener criteria for judging AI-generated music. Attitudes toward AI proved to be the best predictor of both liking and emotional intensity of AI-generated music. This quantitative finding was complemented by qualitative themes from our thematic analysis, which identified ethical, cultural, and contextual considerations as important criteria in listeners' evaluations of AI-generated music. Our results offer a nuanced view of how people experience music created by AI tools and point to key factors and methodological considerations for future research on music perception in human-AI interaction.

Prior work has shown that fine-tuning models on a narrow domain with misaligned data can lead to broad misalignment - a phenomenon termed "emergent misalignment" (Betley et al. 2025). While all tested models were susceptible to emergent misalignment, some models showed more resistance than others. Specifically the Qwen-2.5 family proved to be relatively resistant, while GPT-4o exhibited the strongest misalignment. In this paper we evaluate if current-generation open-weights models exhibit similar resistance to the Qwen-2.5 family and measure misalignment robustness over a range of model architectures and scales. We replicate the effect across nine modern open-weights models (Gemma 3 and Qwen 3 families, 1B-32B parameters). Models fine-tuned on insecure code generation show a 0.68% misalignment rate (compared to 0.07% for base models), matching the lower end of prior open-model results but dramatically lower than GPT-4o's 20%. We identify a critical format-dependent vulnerability: requiring JSON output doubles misalignment rates compared to natural language prompts (0.96% vs 0.42%). This suggests that structural constraints may bypass safety training by reducing the model's 'degrees of freedom' to refuse. These findings confirm emergent misalignment as a reproducible phenomenon in modern open-weights models, with rates substantially lower than observed in proprietary systems.