Deep Learning
Towards 6G Intelligence: The Role of Generative AI in Future Wireless Networks
Mohsin, Muhammad Ahmed, Ahmad, Junaid, Nawaz, Muhammad Hamza, Jamshed, Muhammad Ali
Ambient intelligence (AmI) is a computing paradigm in which physical environments are embedded with sensing, computation, and communication so they can perceive people and context, decide appropriate actions, and respond autonomously. Realizing AmI at global scale requires sixth generation (6G) wireless networks with capabilities for real time perception, reasoning, and action aligned with human behavior and mobility patterns. We argue that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is the creative core of such environments. Unlike traditional AI, GenAI learns data distributions and can generate realistic samples, making it well suited to close key AmI gaps, including generating synthetic sensor and channel data in under observed areas, translating user intent into compact, semantic messages, predicting future network conditions for proactive control, and updating digital twins without compromising privacy. This chapter reviews foundational GenAI models, GANs, VAEs, diffusion models, and generative transformers, and connects them to practical AmI use cases, including spectrum sharing, ultra reliable low latency communication, intelligent security, and context aware digital twins. We also examine how 6G enablers, such as edge and fog computing, IoT device swarms, intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRS), and non terrestrial networks, can host or accelerate distributed GenAI. Finally, we outline open challenges in energy efficient on device training, trustworthy synthetic data, federated generative learning, and AmI specific standardization. We show that GenAI is not a peripheral addition, but a foundational element for transforming 6G from a faster network into an ambient intelligent ecosystem.
Data-Efficient Symbolic Regression via Foundation Model Distillation
Ying, Wangyang, Zhang, Jinghan, Bai, Haoyue, Gong, Nanxu, Wang, Xinyuan, Liu, Kunpeng, Reddy, Chandan K., Fu, Yanjie
Discovering interpretable mathematical equations from observed data (a.k.a. equation discovery or symbolic regression) is a cornerstone of scientific discovery, enabling transparent modeling of physical, biological, and economic systems. While foundation models pre-trained on large-scale equation datasets offer a promising starting point, they often suffer from negative transfer and poor generalization when applied to small, domain-specific datasets. In this paper, we introduce EQUATE (Equation Generation via QUality-Aligned Transfer Embeddings), a data-efficient fine-tuning framework that adapts foundation models for symbolic equation discovery in low-data regimes via distillation. EQUATE combines symbolic-numeric alignment with evaluator-guided embedding optimization, enabling a principled embedding-search-generation paradigm. Our approach reformulates discrete equation search as a continuous optimization task in a shared embedding space, guided by data-equation fitness and simplicity. Experiments across three standard public benchmarks (Feynman, Strogatz, and black-box datasets) demonstrate that EQUATE consistently outperforms state-of-the-art baselines in both accuracy and robustness, while preserving low complexity and fast inference. These results highlight EQUATE as a practical and generalizable solution for data-efficient symbolic regression in foundation model distillation settings.
Distribution Shift Aware Neural Tabular Learning
Ying, Wangyang, Gong, Nanxu, Wang, Dongjie, Wang, Xinyuan, Malarkkan, Arun Vignesh, Gupta, Vivek, Reddy, Chandan K., Fu, Yanjie
Tabular learning transforms raw features into optimized spaces for downstream tasks, but its effectiveness deteriorates under distribution shifts between training and testing data. We formalize this challenge as the Distribution Shift Tabular Learning (DSTL) problem and propose a novel Shift-Aware Feature Transformation (SAFT) framework to address it. SAFT reframes tabular learning from a discrete search task into a continuous representation-generation paradigm, enabling differentiable optimization over transformed feature sets. SAFT integrates three mechanisms to ensure robustness: (i) shift-resistant representation via embedding decorrelation and sample reweighting, (ii) flatness-aware generation through suboptimal embedding averaging, and (iii) normalization-based alignment between training and test distributions. Extensive experiments show that SAFT consistently outperforms prior tabular learning methods in terms of robustness, effectiveness, and generalization ability under diverse real-world distribution shifts.
Rule Synergy Analysis using LLMs: State of the Art and Implications
Bateni, Bahar, Pratt, Benjamin, Whitehead, Jim
--Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong performance across a variety of domains, including logical reasoning, mathematics, and more. In this paper, we investigate how well LLMs understand and reason about complex rule interactions in dynamic environments, such as card games. We introduce a dataset of card synergies from the game Slay the Spire, where pairs of cards are classified based on their positive, negative, or neutral interactions. Our evaluation shows that while LLMs excel at identifying non-synergistic pairs, they struggle with detecting positive and, particularly, negative synergies. Our findings suggest directions for future research to improve model performance in predicting the effect of rules and their interactions. Large language models (LLMs) have shown promising results in performing a wide range of language and reasoning tasks. Recent benchmarks have demonstrated their abilities in logical reasoning, mathematics, coding, and more.
MRExtrap: Longitudinal Aging of Brain MRIs using Linear Modeling in Latent Space
Kapoor, Jaivardhan, Macke, Jakob H., Baumgartner, Christian F.
Simulating aging in 3D brain MRI scans can reveal disease progression patterns in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Current deep learning-based generative models typically approach this problem by predicting future scans from a single observed scan. We investigate modeling brain aging via linear models in the latent space of convolutional autoencoders (MRExtrap). Our approach, MRExtrap, is based on our observation that autoencoders trained on brain MRIs create latent spaces where aging trajectories appear approximately linear. We train autoencoders on brain MRIs to create latent spaces, and investigate how these latent spaces allow predicting future MRIs through linear extrapolation based on age, using an estimated latent progression rate $\boldsymbolฮฒ$. For single-scan prediction, we propose using population-averaged and subject-specific priors on linear progression rates. We also demonstrate that predictions in the presence of additional scans can be flexibly updated using Bayesian posterior sampling, providing a mechanism for subject-specific refinement. On the ADNI dataset, MRExtrap predicts aging patterns accurately and beats a GAN-based baseline for single-volume prediction of brain aging. We also demonstrate and analyze multi-scan conditioning to incorporate subject-specific progression rates. Finally, we show that the latent progression rates in MRExtrap's linear framework correlate with disease and age-based aging patterns from previously studied structural atrophy rates. MRExtrap offers a simple and robust method for the age-based generation of 3D brain MRIs, particularly valuable in scenarios with multiple longitudinal observations.
Improving Low-Resource Translation with Dictionary-Guided Fine-Tuning and RL: A Spanish-to-Wayuunaiki Study
Mosquera, Manuel, Robles, Melissa, Rodriguez, Johan, Manrique, Ruben
Low-resource machine translation remains a significant challenge for large language models (LLMs), which often lack exposure to these languages during pretraining and have limited parallel data for fine-tuning. We propose a novel approach that enhances translation for low-resource languages by integrating an external dictionary tool and training models end-to-end using reinforcement learning, in addition to supervised fine-tuning. Focusing on the Spanish-Wayuunaiki language pair, we frame translation as a tool-augmented decision-making problem in which the model can selectively consult a bilingual dictionary during generation. Our method combines supervised instruction tuning with Guided Reward Policy Optimization (GRPO), enabling the model to learn both when and how to use the tool effectively. BLEU similarity scores are used as rewards to guide this learning process. Preliminary results show that our tool-augmented models achieve up to +3.37 BLEU improvement over previous work, and a 18% relative gain compared to a supervised baseline without dictionary access, on the Spanish-Wayuunaiki test set from the AmericasNLP 2025 Shared Task. We also conduct ablation studies to assess the effects of model architecture and training strategy, comparing Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct with other models such as LLaMA and a prior NLLB-based system.
SIExVulTS: Sensitive Information Exposure Vulnerability Detection System using Transformer Models and Static Analysis
Katz, Kyler, Moshtari, Sara, Mujhid, Ibrahim, Mirakhorli, Mehdi, Garcia, Derek
Sensitive Information Exposure (SIEx) vulnerabilities (CWE-200) remain a persistent and under-addressed threat across software systems, often leading to serious security breaches. Existing detection tools rarely target the diverse subcategories of CWE-200 or provide context-aware analysis of code-level data flows. Aims: This paper aims to present SIExVulTS, a novel vulnerability detection system that integrates transformer-based models with static analysis to identify and verify sensitive information exposure in Java applications. Method: SIExVulTS employs a three-stage architecture: (1) an Attack Surface Detection Engine that uses sentence embeddings to identify sensitive variables, strings, comments, and sinks; (2) an Exposure Analysis Engine that instantiates CodeQL queries aligned with the CWE-200 hierarchy; and (3) a Flow Verification Engine that leverages GraphCodeBERT to semantically validate source-to-sink flows. We evaluate SIExVulTS using three curated datasets, including real-world CVEs, a benchmark set of synthetic CWE-200 examples, and labeled flows from 31 open-source projects. Results: The Attack Surface Detection Engine achieved an average F1 score greater than 93\%, the Exposure Analysis Engine achieved an F1 score of 85.71\%, and the Flow Verification Engine increased precision from 22.61\% to 87.23\%. Moreover, SIExVulTS successfully uncovered six previously unknown CVEs in major Apache projects. Conclusions: The results demonstrate that SIExVulTS is effective and practical for improving software security against sensitive data exposure, addressing limitations of existing tools in detecting and verifying CWE-200 vulnerabilities.
Inference Gap in Domain Expertise and Machine Intelligence in Named Entity Recognition: Creation of and Insights from a Substance Use-related Dataset
Dey, Sumon Kanti, Powell, Jeanne M., Ismail, Azra, Perrone, Jeanmarie, Sarker, Abeed
Nonmedical opioid use is an urgent public health challenge, with far-reaching clinical and social consequences that are often underreported in traditional healthcare settings. Social media platforms, where individuals candidly share first-person experiences, offer a valuable yet underutilized source of insight into these impacts. In this study, we present a named entity recognition (NER) framework to extract two categories of self-reported consequences from social media narratives related to opioid use: ClinicalImpacts (e.g., withdrawal, depression) and SocialImpacts (e.g., job loss). To support this task, we introduce RedditImpacts 2.0, a high-quality dataset with refined annotation guidelines and a focus on first-person disclosures, addressing key limitations of prior work. We evaluate both fine-tuned encoder-based models and state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs) under zero- and few-shot in-context learning settings. Our fine-tuned DeBERTa-large model achieves a relaxed token-level F1 of 0.61 [95% CI: 0.43-0.62], consistently outperforming LLMs in precision, span accuracy, and adherence to task-specific guidelines. Furthermore, we show that strong NER performance can be achieved with substantially less labeled data, emphasizing the feasibility of deploying robust models in resource-limited settings. Our findings underscore the value of domain-specific fine-tuning for clinical NLP tasks and contribute to the responsible development of AI tools that may enhance addiction surveillance, improve interpretability, and support real-world healthcare decision-making. The best performing model, however, still significantly underperforms compared to inter-expert agreement (Cohen's kappa: 0.81), demonstrating that a gap persists between expert intelligence and current state-of-the-art NER/AI capabilities for tasks requiring deep domain knowledge.
Addressing Weak Authentication like RFID, NFC in EVs and EVCs using AI-powered Adaptive Authentication
The rapid expansion of the Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (EVCs) has introduced new cybersecurity challenges, specifically in authentication protocols that protect vehicles, users, and energy infrastructure. Although widely adopted for convenience, traditional authentication mechanisms like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC) rely on static identifiers and weak encryption, making them highly vulnerable to attack vectors such as cloning, relay attacks, and signal interception. This study explores an AI-powered adaptive authentication framework designed to overcome these shortcomings by integrating machine learning, anomaly detection, behavioral analytics, and contextual risk assessment. Grounded in the principles of Zero Trust Architecture, the proposed framework emphasizes continuous verification, least privilege access, and secure communication. Through a comprehensive literature review, this research evaluates current vulnerabilities and highlights AI-driven solutions to provide a scalable, resilient, and proactive defense. Ultimately, the research findings conclude that adopting AI-powered adaptive authentication is a strategic imperative for securing the future of electric mobility and strengthening digital trust across the ecosystem. Keywords: weak authentication, RFID, NFC, ML, AI-powered adaptive authentication, relay attacks, cloning, eavesdropping, MITM attacks, Zero Trust Architecture
Stack Trace-Based Crash Deduplication with Transformer Adaptation
Mamun, Md Afif Al, Uddin, Gias, Xia, Lan, Zhang, Longyu
--Automated crash reporting systems generate large volumes of duplicate reports, overwhelming issue-tracking systems and increasing developer workload. Traditional stack trace-based deduplication methods--relying on string similarity, rule-based heuristics, or deep learning (DL) models--often fail to capture the contextual and structural relationships within stack traces. We propose dedupT, a transformer-based approach that models stack traces holistically rather than as isolated frames. Extensive experiments on real-world datasets show that dedupT outperforms existing DL and traditional methods (e.g., sequence alignment and information retrieval techniques) in both duplicate ranking and unique crash detection, significantly reducing manual triage effort. On four public datasets, dedupT improves Mean Reciprocal Rank (MRR) often by over 15% compared to the best DL baseline and up to 9% over traditional methods while achieving higher Receiver Operating Characteristic Area Under the Curve (ROC-AUC) in detecting unique crash reports. Our work advances the integration of modern natural language processing (NLP) techniques into software engineering, providing an effective solution for stack trace-based crash deduplication. Software issues are generally reported through (1) human-submitted reports and (2) automated crash reports. Human-reported issues typically include textual descriptions detailing the issue, expected and observed behavior, and may include attachments such as images or videos. In contrast, automated crash reports are generated by crash reporting tools (e.g., Sentry However, these automated systems often overwhelm ITS platforms by generating numerous duplicate crash reports for the same issue, requiring developers to manually review and triage them, which is a time-consuming process. For instance, Mozilla Firefox received 2.2 million issues in the first week of 2016, the majority being duplicates [1], while 72% of crash reports in the IntelliJ Platform were found to be duplicates [2]. In such scenarios, grouping similar crashes together is essential, a process known as crash deduplication . Unlike human-written reports with detailed descriptions, automated crash reports primarily contain technical data like stack traces and crash dumps. Figure 1: Example of a Java stack trace. Figure 1: Example of C++ stack trace.