Risk-Averse Finetuning of Large Language Models
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Abstract (arXiv)
We consider the challenge of mitigating the generation of negative or toxic content by the Large Language Models (LLMs) in response to certain prompts. We propose integrating risk-averse principles into LLM fine-tuning to minimize the occurrence of harmful outputs, particularly rare but significant events. By optimizing the risk measure of Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR), our methodology trains LLMs to exhibit superior performance in avoiding toxic outputs while maintaining effectiveness in generative tasks. Empirical evaluations on sentiment modification and toxicity mitigation tasks demonstrate the efficacy of risk-averse reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF) in promoting a safer and more constructive online discourse environment.
Key facts. Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 13 Oct 2026). Builds on 43 of its 55 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 12 Jan 2025.
Builds on
43 of 55 references.
References · 43
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31 more
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Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2025: 4; 2026: 3.
7 papers.
- 2026Efficient Tail-Aware Generative Optimization via Flow Model Fine-Tuningcited by 6
- 2025Knowledge Graph-Infused Fine-Tuning for Structured Reasoning in Large Language Modelscited by 5
- 2026AI Alignment Breaks at the Edgecited by 3
- 2025Risk-aware Direct Preference Optimization under Nested Risk Measurecited by 2
- 2025ESLM: Risk-Averse Selective Language Modeling for Efficient Pretrainingcited by 1
- 2025Reducing the Probability of Undesirable Outputs in Language Models Using Probabilistic Inferencecited by 0
- 2026Fine-Tuning Generative Models for Extreme Events via CVaR-Penalized Wasserstein Gradient Flowscited by 0
- 2026Fine-Tuning Generative Models for Extreme Events via CVaR-Penalized Wasserstein Gradient Flows12 Aug 2026
- 2026AI Alignment Breaks at the Edge23 Feb 2026
- 2026Efficient Tail-Aware Generative Optimization via Flow Model Fine-Tuning18 Feb 2026
- 2025Reducing the Probability of Undesirable Outputs in Language Models Using Probabilistic Inference24 Oct 2025
- 2025Knowledge Graph-Infused Fine-Tuning for Structured Reasoning in Large Language Models20 Aug 2025
- 2025Risk-aware Direct Preference Optimization under Nested Risk Measure26 May 2025
- 2025ESLM: Risk-Averse Selective Language Modeling for Efficient Pretraining26 May 2025
Similar, not cited
Close in wording, no citation either way
- 2026Risk-Conditioned Fine-Tuning of Large Language Models
- 2026Characterising Toxicity in Generative Large Language Models
- 2026Measuring and Mitigating Toxicity in Large Language Models: A Comprehensive Replication Study
- 2024Safe to Serve: Aligning Instruction-Tuned Models for Safety and Helpfulness
- 2024Balancing Enhancement, Harmlessness, and General Capabilities: Enhancing Conversational LLMs with Direct RLHF
- 2022Reward Modeling for Mitigating Toxicity in Transformer-based Language Models
- 2024Cross-Lingual Transfer of Debiasing and Detoxification in Multilingual LLMs: An Extensive Investigation
- 2024The Dark Side of Human Feedback: Poisoning Large Language Models via User Inputs