What's Left? Concept Grounding with Logic-Enhanced Foundation Models
On the map: LLM reasoning → Multimodal reasoning
Abstract (arXiv)
Recent works such as VisProg and ViperGPT have smartly composed foundation models for visual reasoning-using large language models (LLMs) to produce programs that can be executed by pre-trained vision-language models. However, they operate in limited domains, such as 2D images, not fully exploiting the generalization of language: abstract concepts like "left" can also be grounded in 3D, temporal, and action data, as in moving to your left. This limited generalization stems from these inference-only methods' inability to learn or adapt pre-trained models to a new domain. We propose the Logic-Enhanced Foundation Model (LEFT), a unified framework that learns to ground and reason with concepts across domains with a differentiable, domain-independent, first-order logic-based program executor. LEFT has an LLM interpreter that outputs a program represented in a general, logic-based reasoning language, which is shared across all domains and tasks. LEFT's executor then executes the program with trainable domain-specific grounding modules. We show that LEFT flexibly learns concepts in four domains: 2D images, 3D scenes, human motions, and robotic manipulation. It exhibits strong reasoning ability in a wide variety of tasks, including those that are complex and not seen during training, and can be easily applied to new domains.
Key facts. Cited by 33 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Multimodal reasoning, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning. Builds on 43 of its 49 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 24 Oct 2023.
Builds on
43 of 49 references.
Closest ancestors · 2
Same direction, newest first
- 2023ViperGPT: Visual Inference via Python Execution for Reasoning14 Mar
- 2022Visual Programming: Compositional visual reasoning without training18 Nov
Other references · 41
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- 2017Inferring and Executing Programs for Visual Reasoningcited by 130
- 2021Bottom Up Top Down Detection Transformers for Language Grounding in Images and Point Cloudscited by 128
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- 2019Learning by Abstraction: The Neural State Machinecited by 113
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- 2016Learning to Compose Neural Networks for Question Answeringcited by 85
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- 2020Closed Loop Neural-Symbolic Learning via Integrating Neural Perception, Grammar Parsing, and Symbolic Reasoningcited by 58
- 2023NS3D: Neuro-Symbolic Grounding of 3D Objects and Relationscited by 57
- 2018Transparency by Design: Closing the Gap Between Performance and Interpretability in Visual Reasoningcited by 51
- 2019Meta Module Network for Compositional Visual Reasoningcited by 39
- 2020Visual Concept-Metaconcept Learningcited by 39
- 2023Motion Question Answering via Modular Motion Programscited by 27
- 2023Programmatically Grounded, Compositionally Generalizable Robotic Manipulationcited by 26
- 20223D Concept Grounding on Neural Fieldscited by 13
- 2022Grammar-Based Grounded Lexicon Learningcited by 11
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Citing papers per year: 2023: 1; 2024: 13; 2025: 12; 2026: 7.
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- 2025Norm-Q: Effective Compression Method for Hidden Markov Models in Neuro-Symbolic Applications29 Sep 2025
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- 2025Generative Physical AI in Vision: A Survey19 Jan 2025
- 2024Learning for Long-Horizon Planning via Neuro-Symbolic Abductive Imitation27 Nov 2024
- 2024Nl2Hltl2Plan: Scaling Up Natural Language Understanding for Multi-Robots Through Hierarchical Temporal Logic Task Representation15 Aug 2024
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