On-Device Fine-Tuning via Backprop-Free Zeroth-Order Optimization

Importance sampling is a technique utilized to enhance the efficiency of deep neural network (DNN) training by minimizing the variance of gradient estimators. This paper introduces a method for estimating variance reduction during DNN training using only minibatches sampled through importance sampling. Additionally, it suggests an optimal minibatch size for automatic learning rate adjustment and presents a metric to quantify the efficiency of importance sampling, supported by theoretical analysis and experiments demonstrating improved training efficiency and model accuracy.

The article discusses a novel method for detecting low-dimensional structures in high-dimensional probability measures, crucial for efficient sampling. This approach approximates a target measure as a perturbation of a reference measure along significant directions in Euclidean space. The reference measure can be Gaussian or a nonlinear transformation of it, commonly used in generative modeling. The study establishes a link between the dimensional logarithmic Sobolev inequality and Kullback-Leibler divergence minimization, enhancing approximation techniques.

MMaDA-Parallel is a new multimodal diffusion framework aimed at enhancing thinking-aware generation in AI models. It addresses performance degradation caused by error propagation in existing autoregressive approaches. The framework introduces ParaBench, a benchmark for evaluating text and image outputs, revealing that misalignment between reasoning and generated images contributes to performance issues. MMaDA-Parallel employs supervised finetuning and Parallel Reinforcement Learning to improve interaction between text and images throughout the denoising process.

The article discusses the limitations of current generative models, which, despite their ability to produce realistic outputs, often exhibit physical plausibility failures that go undetected by existing evaluation methods. To address this issue, the authors introduce Matryoshka Transcoders, a framework designed for the automatic identification and interpretation of these physical plausibility failure modes. This approach enhances the understanding of generative models and aims to facilitate targeted improvements.

As embodied agents navigate complex environments, the ability to perceive and track individual objects over time is crucial, particularly for tasks involving similar objects. In non-Markovian contexts, decision-making relies on object-specific histories rather than the immediate scene. Without a persistent memory of past interactions, robotic policies may falter or repeat actions unnecessarily. To address this, LIBERO-Mem is introduced as a task suite designed to test robotic manipulation under conditions of partial observability at the object level.

Recent research highlights a new class of attacks in federated learning that compromise model interpretability without impacting accuracy. The study reveals that adversarial clients can apply small color perturbations, shifting a model's saliency maps from meaningful regions while maintaining predictions. This method, termed the Chromatic Perturbation Module, systematically creates adversarial examples by altering color contrasts, leading to persistent poisoning of the model's internal feature attributions, challenging assumptions about model reliability.

The paper discusses Zero-shot coordination (ZSC), a significant challenge in multi-agent game theory, particularly in evolving games. It emphasizes the need for agents to coordinate with previously unseen partners without fine-tuning. The study introduces Scalable Population Training (ScaPT), an efficient reinforcement learning framework that enhances zero-shot coordination by utilizing a meta-agent to manage a diverse pool of agents, addressing limitations of existing methods that focus on small populations and computational constraints.

The study explores the scaling laws of deep neural networks in medical anatomical segmentation, revealing that larger training datasets lead to improved performance across various semantic tasks and imaging modalities. It highlights the significance of deformation-guided augmentation strategies, such as random elastic deformation and registration-guided deformation, in enhancing segmentation outcomes. The research aims to address the underexplored area of data scaling in medical imaging, proposing a novel image augmentation approach to generate diffeomorphic mappings.