arXiv subjects

Jieyu Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Jieyu Zhou.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

When Should Users Check? Modeling Confirmation Frequency in Multi-Step Agentic AI Tasks

Existing AI agents typically execute multi-step tasks autonomously and only allow user confirmation at the end. During execution, users have little control, making the confirm-at-end approach brittle: a single error can cascade and force a complete restart. Confirming every step avoids such failures, but imposes tedious overhead. Balancing excessive interruptions against costly rollbacks remains an open challenge. We address this problem by modeling confirmation as a minimum time scheduling problem. We conducted a formative study with eight participants, which revealed a recurring Confirmation-Diagnosis-Correction-Redo (CDCR) pattern in how users monitor errors. Based on this pattern, we developed a decision-theoretic model to determine time-efficient confirmation point placement. We then evaluated our approach using a within-subjects study where 48 participants monitored AI agents and repaired their mistakes while executing tasks. Results show that 81 percent of participants preferred our intermediate confirmation approach over the confirm-at-end approach used by existing systems, and task completion time was reduced by 13.54 percent.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2026

LLM-Enabled Low-Altitude UAV Natural Language Navigation via Signal Temporal Logic Specification Translation and Repair

Natural language (NL) navigation for low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offers an intelligent and convenient solution for low-altitude aerial services by enabling an intuitive interface for non-expert operators. However, deploying this capability in urban environments necessitates the precise grounding of underspecified instructions into safety-critical, dynamically feasible motion plans subject to spatiotemporal constraints. To address this challenge, we propose a unified framework that translates NL instructions into Signal Temporal Logic (STL) specifications and subsequently synthesizes trajectories via mixed-integer linear programming (MILP). Specifically, to generate executable STL formulas from free-form NL, we develop a reasoning-enhanced large language model (LLM) leveraging chain-of-thought (CoT) supervision and group-relative policy optimization (GRPO), which ensures high syntactic validity and semantic consistency. Furthermore, to resolve infeasibilities induced by stringent logical or spatial requirements, we introduce a specification repair mechanism. This module combines MILP-based diagnosis with LLM-guided semantic reasoning to selectively relax task constraints while strictly enforcing safety guarantees. Extensive simulations and real-world flight experiments demonstrate that the proposed closed-loop framework significantly improves NL-to-STL translation robustness, enabling safe, interpretable, and adaptable UAV navigation in complex scenarios.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2025

OrchVis: Hierarchical Multi-Agent Orchestration for Human Oversight

We introduce OrchVis, a multi-agent orchestration framework that visualizes, verifies, and coordinates goal-driven collaboration among LLM-based agents. Through hierarchical goal alignment, task assignment, and conflict resolution, OrchVis enables humans to supervise complex multi-agent workflows without micromanaging each step. The system parses user intent into structured goals, monitors execution via automated verification, and exposes inter-agent dependencies through an interactive planning panel. When conflicts arise, users can explore system-proposed alternatives and selectively replan. OrchVis advances human-centered design for multi-agent systems by combining transparent visualization with adaptive autonomy.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2025

Deliberate Planning in Language Models with Symbolic Representation

Planning remains a core challenge for large language models (LLMs), particularly in domains that require coherent multi-step action sequences grounded in external constraints. We introduce SymPlanner, a novel framework that equips LLMs with structured planning capabilities by interfacing them with a symbolic environment that serves as an explicit world model. Rather than relying purely on natural language reasoning, SymPlanner grounds the planning process in a symbolic state space, where a policy model proposes actions and a symbolic environment deterministically executes and verifies their effects. To enhance exploration and improve robustness, we introduce Iterative Correction (IC), which refines previously proposed actions by leveraging feedback from the symbolic environment to eliminate invalid decisions and guide the model toward valid alternatives. Additionally, Contrastive Ranking (CR) enables fine-grained comparison of candidate plans by evaluating them jointly. Conceptually, SymPlanner operationalizes two cognitive faculties: (i) error monitoring and repair via externalized feedback (IC) and (ii) preference formation among alternatives via pairwise comparison (CR), advancing cognitively plausible, symbol-grounded planning aligned with the rich structure in intelligent systems. We evaluate SymPlanner on PlanBench, demonstrating that it produces more coherent, diverse, and verifiable plans than pure natural language baselines.

cs.CL↗

arXiv2025

Improving Public Service Chatbot Design and Civic Impact: Investigation of Citizens' Perceptions of a Metro City 311 Chatbot

As governments increasingly adopt digital tools, public service chatbots have emerged as a growing communication channel. This paper explores the design considerations and engagement opportunities of public service chatbots, using a 311 chatbot from a metropolitan city as a case study. Our qualitative study consisted of official survey data and 16 interviews examining stakeholder experiences and design preferences for the chatbot. We found two key areas of concern regarding these public chatbots: individual-level and community-level. At the individual level, citizens experience three key challenges: interpretation, transparency, and social contextualization. Moreover, the current chatbot design prioritizes the efficient completion of individual tasks but neglects the broader community perspective. It overlooks how individuals interact and discuss problems collectively within their communities. To address these concerns, we offer design opportunities for creating more intelligent, transparent, community-oriented chatbots that better engage individuals and their communities.

cs.HC↗

arXiv2024

Improving Interface Design in Interactive Task Learning for Hierarchical Tasks based on a Qualitative Study

Interactive Task Learning (ITL) systems acquire task knowledge from human instructions in natural language interaction. The interaction design of ITL agents for hierarchical tasks stays uncharted. This paper studied Verbal Apprentice Learner(VAL) for gaming, as an ITL example, and qualitatively analyzed the user study data to provide design insights on dialogue language types, task instruction strategies, and error handling. We then proposed an interface design: Editable Hierarchy Knowledge (EHK), as a generic probe for ITL systems for hierarchical tasks.

cs.HC↗