arXiv subjects

Yilan Gao

Publications and source records attributed to Yilan Gao.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Representation Learning in Diffusion and Flow-based Model: An Application Aspect

Diffusion models and flow-based models have recently become the dominant paradigms in generative modeling, largely due to their ability to learn rich, multi-level visual representations through large-scale training. This creates a bidirectional relationship between generative models and representation learning: improving representation learning enhances generation quality, while the learned representations can be leveraged for broader understanding tasks. This survey systematically explores this interplay with a focus on applications. We propose a three-tier progressive framework that organizes existing works from three perspectives: using representation learning to improve generative capabilities, exploiting generative models to extract representations for perception tasks, and ultimately moving toward general-purpose unified applications. We systematically categorize representative methods across a wide range of downstream tasks, including image classification, dense visual prediction, instance-level perception, and annotation-scarce scenarios. By providing a unified taxonomy and identifying key challenges, this survey aims to clarify the underlying logic of current research and suggest promising directions for future exploration. We hope this work can serve as a valuable reference for researchers interested in harnessing the representation power of generative models for applications beyond generation.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2026

Safeguarding Text-to-Image Generative Models Against Unauthorized Knowledge Distillation

Closed-weight generative services are increasingly deployed through query-based APIs, where users can obtain generated outputs while model parameters remain inaccessible. However, such deployment does not prevent model stealing: an attacker can repeatedly query the service, collect large volumes of released synthetic images, and use them as training data for a private substitute model. This query-output-driven process enables unauthorized knowledge distillation and capability replication without direct access to the original weights. To mitigate this threat, a practical defense should preserve the visual fidelity of released images, provide explicit control over perturbation magnitude, and scale efficiently to large-volume output release. We present WaveGuard, a single-pass, generator-based protection framework that safeguards released synthetic images under a user-specified perturbation budget. WaveGuard employs a frequency-aware perturbation generator to inject structured, imperceptible perturbations that maintain perceptual utility for benign viewers while reducing the usefulness of protected images as training data for unauthorized student models. Extensive experiments under WikiArt-related synthetic-output distillation settings show that WaveGuard achieves a favorable efficacy--fidelity--efficiency trade-off, with explicit imperceptibility control and substantial gains in protection efficiency.

cs.CR↗

arXiv2025

Never compromise with vulnerabilities: a comprehensive survey on AI governance

The rapid advancement of AI has expanded its capabilities across domains, yet introduced critical technical vulnerabilities, such as algorithmic bias and adversarial sensitivity, that pose significant societal risks, including misinformation, inequity, security breaches, physical harm, and eroded public trust. These challenges highlight the urgent need for robust AI governance. We propose a comprehensive framework integrating technical and societal dimensions, structured around three interconnected pillars: Intrinsic Security (system reliability), Derivative Security (real-world harm mitigation), and Social Ethics (value alignment and accountability). Uniquely, our approach unifies technical methods, emerging evaluation benchmarks, and policy insights to promote transparency, accountability, and trust in AI systems. Through a systematic review of over 300 studies, we identify three core challenges: (1) the generalization gap, where defenses fail against evolving threats; (2) inadequate evaluation protocols that overlook real-world risks; and (3) fragmented regulations leading to inconsistent oversight. These shortcomings stem from treating governance as an afterthought, rather than a foundational design principle, resulting in reactive, siloed efforts that fail to address the interdependence of technical integrity and societal trust. To overcome this, we present an integrated research agenda that bridges technical rigor with social responsibility. Our framework offers actionable guidance for researchers, engineers, and policymakers to develop AI systems that are not only robust and secure but also ethically aligned and publicly trustworthy. The accompanying repository is available at https://github.com/Tele-EVOL/AI-Governance.

cs.CR↗