Education
A Career Interview Dialogue System using Large Language Model-based Dynamic Slot Generation
Hashimoto, Ekai, Nakano, Mikio, Sakurai, Takayoshi, Shiramatsu, Shun, Komazaki, Toshitake, Tsuchiya, Shiho
This study aims to improve the efficiency and quality of career interviews conducted by nursing managers. To this end, we have been developing a slot-filling dialogue system that engages in pre-interviews to collect information on staff careers as a preparatory step before the actual interviews. Conventional slot-filling-based interview dialogue systems have limitations in the flexibility of information collection because the dialogue progresses based on predefined slot sets. We therefore propose a method that leverages large language models (LLMs) to dynamically generate new slots according to the flow of the dialogue, achieving more natural conversations. Furthermore, we incorporate abduction into the slot generation process to enable more appropriate and effective slot generation. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we conducted experiments using a user simulator. The results suggest that the proposed method using abduction is effective in enhancing both information-collecting capabilities and the naturalness of the dialogue.
Online Preference-based Reinforcement Learning with Self-augmented Feedback from Large Language Model
Tu, Songjun, Sun, Jingbo, Zhang, Qichao, Lan, Xiangyuan, Zhao, Dongbin
Preference-based reinforcement learning (PbRL) provides a powerful paradigm to avoid meticulous reward engineering by learning rewards based on human preferences. However, real-time human feedback is hard to obtain in online tasks. Most work suppose there is a "scripted teacher" that utilizes privileged predefined reward to provide preference feedback. In this paper, we propose a RL Self-augmented Large Language Model Feedback (RL-SaLLM-F) technique that does not rely on privileged information for online PbRL. RL-SaLLM-F leverages the reflective and discriminative capabilities of LLM to generate self-augmented trajectories and provide preference labels for reward learning. First, we identify an failure issue in LLM-based preference discrimination, specifically "query ambiguity", in online PbRL. Then LLM is employed to provide preference labels and generate self-augmented imagined trajectories that better achieve the task goal, thereby enhancing the quality and efficiency of feedback. Additionally, a double-check mechanism is introduced to mitigate randomness in the preference labels, improving the reliability of LLM feedback. The experiment across multiple tasks in the MetaWorld benchmark demonstrates the specific contributions of each proposed module in RL-SaLLM-F, and shows that self-augmented LLM feedback can effectively replace the impractical "scripted teacher" feedback. In summary, RL-SaLLM-F introduces a new direction of feedback acquisition in online PbRL that does not rely on any online privileged information, offering an efficient and lightweight solution with LLM-driven feedback.
Real-time Bangla Sign Language Translator
Pranto, Rotan Hawlader, Siddique, Shahnewaz
The human body communicates through various meaningful gestures, with sign language using hands being a prominent example. Bangla Sign Language Translation (BSLT) aims to bridge communication gaps for the deaf and mute community. Our approach involves using Mediapipe Holistic to gather key points, LSTM architecture for data training, and Computer Vision for realtime sign language detection with an accuracy of 94%. Keywords=Recurrent Neural Network, LSTM, Computer Vision, Bangla font.
Rational Metareasoning for Large Language Models
De Sabbata, C. Nicolò, Sumers, Theodore R., Griffiths, Thomas L.
Being prompted to engage in reasoning has emerged as a core technique for using large language models (LLMs), deploying additional inference-time compute to improve task performance. However, as LLMs increase in both size and adoption, inference costs are correspondingly becoming increasingly burdensome. This work introduces a novel approach based on computational models of metareasoning used in cognitive science, training LLMs to selectively use intermediate reasoning steps only when necessary. We first develop a reward function that incorporates the Value of Computation by penalizing unnecessary reasoning, then use this reward function with Expert Iteration to train the LLM. Compared to few-shot chain-of-thought prompting and STaR, our method significantly reduces inference costs (20-37% fewer tokens generated across three models) while maintaining task performance across diverse datasets. Large language models (LLMs) rely on substantial computational power to handle complex problems (OpenAI et al., 2024; Chowdhery et al., 2022; de Vries, 2023). While initial studies mostly focused on the cost of training (Verdecchia et al., 2023), LLMs' widespread deployment has made inference-time costs an increasingly important factor. However, there is a fundamental tension between inference cost and task performance: while many of these methods reduce costs at the expense of performance, others, such as chain-of-thought prompting (CoT; Wei et al., 2023; Kojima et al., 2023), do the opposite, raising inference costs to enhance task performance (Snell et al., 2024). It is worth noting that none of the previous approaches are adaptive: model compression modifications and existing CoT methods tend to raise or lower the inference cost on all queries, regardless of task complexity.
CLOVer: Cross-Layer Orthonormal Vectors Adaption
To adapt a well-trained large model to downstream tasks, we propose constraining learning within its original latent space by leveraging linear combinations of its basis vectors. This approach ensures stable training without compromising the model's capabilities. Traditionally, constructing orthonormal bases from a matrix requires a transfer matrix, which significantly increases storage and computational overhead for parameters and feature maps. In this paper, we introduce Cross-Layer Orthonormal Vectors in Q, K, V, and O matrices, enabling their orthogonalization without the need for transfer matrices. Furthermore, the CLOVer operation eliminates redundant vectors, reducing the encoder attention parameters of Whisper-large-v3 by 46.42% without requiring additional training. For parameter-efficient and stable fine-tuning, we orthonormalized Q, K, V, and O and fine-tuned only the singular values, allowing efficient adaptation while constraining changes to the original latent space. When fine-tuning LLaMA-2-7B on eight commonsense reasoning datasets, our method outperforms LoRA by 5.4% and DoRA by 3.7%. CLOVer forgetting less previous knowledge when learning new knowledge.
Ask-Before-Detection: Identifying and Mitigating Conformity Bias in LLM-Powered Error Detector for Math Word Problem Solutions
Li, Hang, Xu, Tianlong, Yang, Kaiqi, Chu, Yucheng, Chen, Yanling, Song, Yichi, Wen, Qingsong, Liu, Hui
The rise of large language models (LLMs) offers new opportunities for automatic error detection in education, particularly for math word problems (MWPs). While prior studies demonstrate the promise of LLMs as error detectors, they overlook the presence of multiple valid solutions for a single MWP. Our preliminary analysis reveals a significant performance gap between conventional and alternative solutions in MWPs, a phenomenon we term conformity bias in this work. To mitigate this bias, we introduce the Ask-Before-Detect (AskBD) framework, which generates adaptive reference solutions using LLMs to enhance error detection. Experiments on 200 examples of GSM8K show that AskBD effectively mitigates bias and improves performance, especially when combined with reasoning-enhancing techniques like chain-of-thought prompting.
Improving Math Problem Solving in Large Language Models Through Categorization and Strategy Tailoring
In this paper, we explore how to leverage large language models (LLMs) to solve mathematical problems efficiently and accurately. Specifically, we demonstrate the effectiveness of classifying problems into distinct categories and employing category-specific problem-solving strategies to improve the mathematical performance of LLMs. We design a simple yet intuitive machine learning model for problem categorization and show that its accuracy can be significantly enhanced through the development of well-curated training datasets. Additionally, we find that the performance of this simple model approaches that of state-of-the-art (SOTA) models for categorization. Moreover, the accuracy of SOTA models also benefits from the use of improved training data. Finally, we assess the advantages of using category-specific strategies when prompting LLMs and observe significantly better performance compared to non-tailored approaches.
From Creation to Curriculum: Examining the role of generative AI in Arts Universities
The age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is marked by its transformative "generative" capabilities, distinguishing it from prior iterations. This burgeoning characteristic of AI has enabled it to produce new and original content, inherently showcasing its creative prowess. This shift challenges and requires a recalibration in the realm of arts education, urging a departure from established pedagogies centered on human-driven image creation. The paper meticulously addresses the integration of AI tools, with a spotlight on Stable Diffusion (SD), into university arts curricula. Drawing from practical insights gathered from workshops conducted in July 2023, which culminated in an exhibition of AI-driven artworks, the paper aims to provide a roadmap for seamlessly infusing these tools into academic settings. Given their recent emergence, the paper delves into a comprehensive overview of such tools, emphasizing the intricate dance between artists, developers, and researchers in the open-source AI art world. This discourse extends to the challenges and imperatives faced by educational institutions. It presents a compelling case for the swift adoption of these avant-garde tools, underscoring the paramount importance of equipping students with the competencies required to thrive in an AI-augmented artistic landscape.
Symplectic Neural Flows for Modeling and Discovery
Canizares, Priscilla, Murari, Davide, Schönlieb, Carola-Bibiane, Sherry, Ferdia, Shumaylov, Zakhar
Hamilton's equations are fundamental for modeling complex physical systems, where preserving key properties such as energy and momentum is crucial for reliable long-term simulations. Geometric integrators are widely used for this purpose, but neural network-based methods that incorporate these principles remain underexplored. This work introduces SympFlow, a time-dependent symplectic neural network designed using parameterized Hamiltonian flow maps. This design allows for backward error analysis and ensures the preservation of the symplectic structure. SympFlow allows for two key applications: (i) providing a time-continuous symplectic approximation of the exact flow of a Hamiltonian system--purely based on the differential equations it satisfies, and (ii) approximating the flow map of an unknown Hamiltonian system relying on trajectory data. We demonstrate the effectiveness of SympFlow on diverse problems, including chaotic and dissipative systems, showing improved energy conservation compared to general-purpose numerical methods and accurate
STAMPsy: Towards SpatioTemporal-Aware Mixed-Type Dialogues for Psychological Counseling
Wang, Jieyi, Huang, Yue, Liu, Zeming, Xu, Dexuan, Wang, Chuan, Shi, Xiaoming, Guan, Ruiyuan, Wang, Hongxing, Yue, Weihua, Huang, Yu
Online psychological counseling dialogue systems are trending, offering a convenient and accessible alternative to traditional in-person therapy. However, existing psychological counseling dialogue systems mainly focus on basic empathetic dialogue or QA with minimal professional knowledge and without goal guidance. In many real-world counseling scenarios, clients often seek multi-type help, such as diagnosis, consultation, therapy, console, and common questions, but existing dialogue systems struggle to combine different dialogue types naturally. In this paper, we identify this challenge as how to construct mixed-type dialogue systems for psychological counseling that enable clients to clarify their goals before proceeding with counseling. To mitigate the challenge, we collect a mixed-type counseling dialogues corpus termed STAMPsy, covering five dialogue types, task-oriented dialogue for diagnosis, knowledge-grounded dialogue, conversational recommendation, empathetic dialogue, and question answering, over 5,000 conversations. Moreover, spatiotemporal-aware knowledge enables systems to have world awareness and has been proven to affect one's mental health. Therefore, we link dialogues in STAMPsy to spatiotemporal state and propose a spatiotemporal-aware mixed-type psychological counseling dataset. Additionally, we build baselines on STAMPsy and develop an iterative self-feedback psychological dialogue generation framework, named Self-STAMPsy. Results indicate that clarifying dialogue goals in advance and utilizing spatiotemporal states are effective.