arXiv:2511.08281v1 Announce Type: new 
Abstract: Feature attribution has gained prominence as a tool for explaining model decisions, yet evaluating explanation quality remains challenging due to the absence of ground-truth explanations. To circumvent this, explanation-guided input manipulation has emerged as an indirect evaluation strategy, measuring explanation effectiveness through the impact of input modifications on model outcomes during inference. Despite the widespread use, a major concern with inference-based schemes is the distribution shift caused by such manipulations, which undermines the reliability of their assessments. The retraining-based scheme ROAR overcomes this issue by adapting the model to the altered data distribution. However, its evaluation results often contradict the theoretical foundations of widely accepted explainers. This work investigates this misalignment between empirical observations and theoretical expectations. In particular, we identify the sign issue as a key factor responsible for residual information that ultimately distorts retraining-based evaluation. Based on the analysis, we show that a straightforward reframing of the evaluation process can effectively resolve the identified issue. Building on the existing framework, we further propose novel variants that jointly structure a comprehensive perspective on explanation evaluation. These variants largely improve evaluation efficiency over the standard retraining protocol, thereby enhancing practical applicability for explainer selection and benchmarking. Following our proposed schemes, empirical results across various data scales provide deeper insights into the performance of carefully selected explainers, revealing open challenges and future directions in explainability research.

تتناول دراسة جديدة التحديات المتعلقة بتقييم جودة الشرح في نسبة الميزات، وخاصة في إطار خطة إعادة التدريب المعروفة باسم ROAR. تسلط الضوء على مشكلة التحولات في التوزيع الناتجة عن التلاعبات في المدخلات، والتي يمكن أن تشوه نتائج التقييم. تحدد الدراسة مشكلة الإشارة كعامل رئيسي في هذه التشوهات وتقترح إعادة صياغة عملية التقييم لتحسين الموثوقية. يعد هذا العمل مهمًا لأنه يسعى إلى تعزيز الفهم وفعالية الشروحات للنماذج في الذكاء الاصطناعي.

Un nuevo estudio aborda los desafíos de evaluar la calidad de las explicaciones en la atribución de características, especialmente bajo el esquema de reentrenamiento conocido como ROAR. Destaca el problema de los cambios de distribución causados por manipulaciones de entrada, que pueden distorsionar los resultados de la evaluación. La investigación identifica un problema de signo como un factor clave en esta distorsión y propone reformular el proceso de evaluación para mejorar la fiabilidad. Este trabajo es significativo ya que busca mejorar la comprensión y efectividad de las explicaciones de modelos en IA.

Une nouvelle étude aborde les défis de l'évaluation de la qualité des explications dans l'attribution des caractéristiques, en particulier dans le cadre du schéma de réentraînement connu sous le nom de ROAR. Elle met en lumière le problème des décalages de distribution causés par des manipulations d'entrée, qui peuvent déformer les résultats d'évaluation. La recherche identifie un problème de signe comme un facteur clé de cette distorsion et propose de reformuler le processus d'évaluation pour améliorer la fiabilité. Ce travail est significatif car il vise à améliorer la compréhension et l'efficacité des explications de modèle en IA.

A new study addresses the challenges of evaluating explanation quality in feature attribution, particularly under the retraining scheme known as ROAR. It highlights the issue of distribution shifts caused by input manipulations, which can distort evaluation results. The research identifies a sign issue as a key factor in this distortion and proposes a reframing of the evaluation process to improve reliability. This work is significant as it seeks to enhance the understanding and effectiveness of model explanations in AI.

Rethinking Explanation Evaluation under the Retraining Scheme

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<h1>
 
 
 AI Amnesia: Erasing Knowledge Without a Trace
</h1>

Imagine your AI model accidentally learned something it shouldn't have – sensitive customer data, for example. Current methods for deleting this information often require retraining the entire model, an expensive and time-consuming process. What if we could surgically remove that knowledge without starting from scratch?

The key lies in a novel approach: creating artificial "forgetting cues." We're teaching the model to unlearn specific data patterns by exposing it to carefully crafted synthetic examples. These examples are designed to strongly contradict the information we want the model to forget, effectively overwriting the problematic associations in its memory. This works even if you don’t have access to the original data you need to erase.

Think of it like this: you're trying to forget a bad song stuck in your head. Instead of trying to actively suppress it (which rarely works), you blast an even more catchy song. The new song overwrites the old one, effectively erasing it from your mental playlist.

Benefits of Selective Forgetting:

<ul>
<li> Enhanced Data Privacy: Remove sensitive data without compromising the overall model's performance.</li>
<li> Reduced Retraining Costs: Avoid full model retraining, saving significant time and resources.</li>
<li> Improved Model Security: Eliminate vulnerabilities introduced by unintentionally learned patterns.</li>
<li> Adaptable Learning: Enables continuous refinement of AI models based on evolving data landscapes.</li>
<li> Compliance Ready: Supports compliance with data privacy regulations like GDPR.</li>
<li> Scalable Solutions: Works efficiently even with limited access to training data.</li>
</ul>

Practical Tip: One challenge is ensuring the synthetic data accurately targets the information you want to remove without negatively impacting the model's ability to generalize. Rigorous testing and validation with holdout datasets are crucial.

The promise of AI that can truly 'forget' opens exciting possibilities for responsible AI development. By enabling precise data deletion, we pave the way for more secure, compliant, and adaptable machine learning systems. Imagine AI models that can adapt to changing ethical guidelines or quickly unlearn incorrect information, all without massive retraining efforts. This is a crucial step towards trustworthy and responsible AI that respects data privacy and aligns with societal values. Future exploration could include extending this to different data modalities and model architectures.

Related Keywords: machine unlearning, data privacy, few-shot learning, zero-shot learning, synthetic data, model editing, catastrophic forgetting, incremental learning, continual learning, deep learning, neural networks, data security, algorithmic fairness, responsible ai, ethical ai, federated unlearning, privacy-preserving ai, model retraining, AI governance, data deletion, GDPR compliance

يتناول المقال نهجًا جديدًا لمعالجة مشكلة نسيان الذكاء الاصطناعي، حيث قد تحتفظ نماذج الذكاء الاصطناعي عن غير قصد بمعلومات حساسة. تتطلب الطرق التقليدية لحذف هذه البيانات غالبًا إعادة تدريب كاملة للنموذج، وهو ما يعد مكلفًا ويستغرق وقتًا. تتضمن التقنية الجديدة إنشاء 'إشارات نسيان' اصطناعية تساعد النموذج على نسيان أنماط بيانات معينة من خلال تعريضه لأمثلة صناعية تتناقض مع المعلومات غير المرغوب فيها، مما يسمح بإزالة المعرفة المستهدفة دون الحاجة للوصول إلى البيانات الأصلية.

El artículo aborda un nuevo enfoque para tratar el problema de la amnesia de la IA, donde los modelos de IA pueden retener inadvertidamente información sensible. Los métodos tradicionales para eliminar estos datos a menudo requieren un reentrenamiento completo del modelo, lo que es costoso y lleva tiempo. La nueva técnica implica crear 'señales de olvido' artificiales que ayudan al modelo a desaprender patrones de datos específicos al exponerlo a ejemplos sintéticos que contradicen la información no deseada, permitiendo así la eliminación selectiva de conocimientos sin necesidad de acceder a l…

L'article traite d'une nouvelle approche pour résoudre le problème de l'amnésie de l'IA, où les modèles d'IA peuvent involontairement conserver des informations sensibles. Les méthodes traditionnelles pour supprimer ces données nécessitent souvent un réentraînement complet du modèle, ce qui est coûteux et long. La nouvelle technique consiste à créer des 'cues d'oubli' artificiels qui aident le modèle à désapprendre des schémas de données spécifiques en lui présentant des exemples synthétiques qui contredisent les informations indésirables, permettant ainsi une suppression ciblée des connaissan…

The article discusses a novel approach to address the issue of AI amnesia, where AI models may inadvertently retain sensitive information. Traditional methods for deleting such data often require complete retraining of the model, which is costly and time-consuming. The new technique involves creating artificial 'forgetting cues' that help the model unlearn specific data patterns by presenting it with synthetic examples that contradict the unwanted information, allowing for targeted knowledge removal without needing access to the original data.

AI Amnesia: Erasing Knowledge Without a Trace

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Turning materials like wood chips, crop residues and municipal solid waste into fuels and chemicals is important for our country's energy independence.

طور الباحثون نماذج حاسوبية متقدمة تهدف إلى تحسين التنبؤات لعمليات طحن الكتلة الحيوية. تركز هذه الابتكارات على تحويل مواد مثل رقائق الخشب، بقايا المحاصيل، والنفايات الصلبة البلدية إلى وقود ومواد كيميائية قيمة، وهو أمر مهم لتعزيز استقلالية الطاقة في البلاد. من المتوقع أن تعمل النماذج على تحسين كفاءة معالجة الكتلة الحيوية، مما يساهم في حلول الطاقة المستدامة.

Investigadores han desarrollado modelos informáticos avanzados destinados a mejorar las predicciones para los procesos de molienda de biomasa. Esta innovación se centra en convertir materiales como astillas de madera, residuos de cultivos y residuos sólidos municipales en combustibles y productos químicos valiosos, lo que es crucial para mejorar la independencia energética del país. Se espera que los modelos optimicen la eficiencia del procesamiento de biomasa, contribuyendo así a soluciones energéticas sostenibles.

Des chercheurs ont développé des modèles informatiques avancés visant à améliorer les prévisions pour les processus de broyage de la biomasse. Cette innovation se concentre sur la conversion de matériaux tels que les copeaux de bois, les résidus de culture et les déchets solides municipaux en combustibles et produits chimiques précieux, ce qui est crucial pour renforcer l'indépendance énergétique du pays. Les modèles devraient optimiser l'efficacité du traitement de la biomasse, contribuant ainsi à des solutions énergétiques durables.

Researchers have developed advanced computer models aimed at improving predictions for biomass milling processes. This innovation focuses on converting materials such as wood chips, crop residues, and municipal solid waste into valuable fuels and chemicals, which is crucial for enhancing energy independence in the country. The models are expected to optimize the efficiency of biomass processing, thereby contributing to sustainable energy solutions.

Researchers develop computer models for better biomass milling predictions

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arXiv:2511.10809v2 Announce Type: replace 
Abstract: Linear Predictive Clustering (LPC) partitions samples based on shared linear relationships between feature and target variables, with numerous applications including marketing, medicine, and education. Greedy optimization methods, commonly used for LPC, alternate between clustering and linear regression but lack global optimality. While effective for separable clusters, they struggle in non-separable settings where clusters overlap in feature space. In an alternative constrained optimization paradigm, Bertsimas and Shioda (2007) formulated LPC as a Mixed-Integer Program (MIP), ensuring global optimality regardless of separability but suffering from poor scalability. This work builds on the constrained optimization paradigm to introduce two novel approaches that improve the efficiency of global optimization for LPC. By leveraging key theoretical properties of separability, we derive near-optimal approximations with provable error bounds, significantly reducing the MIP formulation's complexity and improving scalability. Additionally, we can further approximate LPC as a Quadratic Pseudo-Boolean Optimization (QPBO) problem, achieving substantial computational improvements in some settings. Comparative analyses on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate that our methods consistently achieve near-optimal solutions with substantially lower regression errors than greedy optimization while exhibiting superior scalability over existing MIP formulations.

Near-optimal Linear Predictive Clustering in Non-separable Spaces via Mixed Integer Programming and Quadratic Pseudo-Boolean Reductions

arXiv:2511.07947v2 Announce Type: replace-cross 
Abstract: Machine learning models constitute valuable intellectual property, yet remain vulnerable to model extraction attacks (MEA), where adversaries replicate their functionality through black-box queries. Model watermarking counters MEAs by embedding forensic markers for ownership verification. Current black-box watermarks prioritize MEA survival through representation entanglement, yet inadequately explore resilience against sequential MEAs and removal attacks. Our study reveals that this risk is underestimated because existing removal methods are weakened by entanglement. To address this gap, we propose Watermark Removal attacK (WRK), which circumvents entanglement constraints by exploiting decision boundaries shaped by prevailing sample-level watermark artifacts. WRK effectively reduces watermark success rates by at least 88.79% across existing watermarking benchmarks.
  For robust protection, we propose Class-Feature Watermarks (CFW), which improve resilience by leveraging class-level artifacts. CFW constructs a synthetic class using out-of-domain samples, eliminating vulnerable decision boundaries between original domain samples and their artifact-modified counterparts (watermark samples). CFW concurrently optimizes both MEA transferability and post-MEA stability. Experiments across multiple domains show that CFW consistently outperforms prior methods in resilience, maintaining a watermark success rate of at least 70.15% in extracted models even under the combined MEA and WRK distortion, while preserving the utility of protected models.

Class-feature Watermark: A Resilient Black-box Watermark Against Model Extraction Attacks

arXiv:2511.06854v2 Announce Type: replace-cross 
Abstract: Irregularly sampled time series (ISTS), characterized by non-uniform time intervals with natural missingness, are prevalent in real-world applications. Existing approaches for ISTS modeling primarily rely on observed values to impute unobserved ones or infer latent dynamics. However, these methods overlook a critical source of learning signal: the reconstruction error inherently produced during model training. Such error implicitly reflects how well a model captures the underlying data structure and can serve as an informative proxy for unobserved values. To exploit this insight, we propose iTimER, a simple yet effective self-supervised pre-training framework for ISTS representation learning. iTimER models the distribution of reconstruction errors over observed values and generates pseudo-observations for unobserved timestamps through a mixup strategy between sampled errors and the last available observations. This transforms unobserved timestamps into noise-aware training targets, enabling meaningful reconstruction signals. A Wasserstein metric aligns reconstruction error distributions between observed and pseudo-observed regions, while a contrastive learning objective enhances the discriminability of learned representations. Extensive experiments on classification, interpolation, and forecasting tasks demonstrate that iTimER consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods under the ISTS setting.

يقدم المقال iTimER، وهو إطار عمل للتدريب الذاتي الموجه مصمم لتعلم تمثيلات السلاسل الزمنية المأخوذة بشكل غير منتظم (ISTS). تتميز ISTS بفترات زمنية غير متساوية وغياب طبيعي، مما يشكل تحديات أمام أساليب النمذجة التقليدية. يستفيد iTimER من خطأ إعادة البناء الناتج أثناء تدريب النموذج لإنشاء ملاحظات زائفة للعلامات الزمنية غير الملاحظة، مما يعزز قدرة النموذج على التقاط الهياكل الأساسية للبيانات وتحسين دقة التنبؤات.

El artículo presenta iTimER, un marco de preentrenamiento auto-supervisado diseñado para aprender representaciones de series temporales muestreadas de manera irregular (ISTS). Las ISTS se caracterizan por intervalos de tiempo no uniformes y faltantes naturales, lo que plantea desafíos para los enfoques de modelado tradicionales. iTimER aprovecha el error de reconstrucción generado durante el entrenamiento del modelo para crear pseudo-observaciones para marcas de tiempo no observadas, mejorando la capacidad del modelo para capturar las estructuras subyacentes de los datos y mejorar la precisión…

L'article présente iTimER, un cadre de pré-entraînement auto-supervisé conçu pour apprendre des représentations de séries temporelles échantillonnées de manière irrégulière (ISTS). Les ISTS se caractérisent par des intervalles de temps non uniformes et des manques naturels, ce qui pose des défis pour les approches de modélisation traditionnelles. iTimER exploite l'erreur de reconstruction générée pendant l'entraînement du modèle pour créer des pseudo-observations pour les horodatages non observés, améliorant ainsi la capacité du modèle à capturer les structures sous-jacentes des données et à a…

The article presents iTimER, a self-supervised pre-training framework designed for learning representations of irregularly sampled time series (ISTS). ISTS are characterized by non-uniform time intervals and natural missingness, which pose challenges for traditional modeling approaches. iTimER leverages the reconstruction error generated during model training to create pseudo-observations for unobserved timestamps, enhancing the model's ability to capture underlying data structures and improve forecasting accuracy.

Rethinking Explanation Evaluation under the Retraining Scheme

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