Xiaochun Cao


2026

Existing In-context Learning (ICL) typically assumes the retrieval dataset contains demonstrations for all output label spaces. However, in real-world scenarios, delays in dataset updates or incomplete data annotation may result in the retrieval dataset containing labeled demonstrations for only a subset of the output space. We refer to this phenomenon as an incomplete retrieval dataset and define the in-context learning under this condition as Incomplete In-context Learning (IICL). To address IICL, we propose Iterative Judgments and Integrated Prediction (IJIP), a framework with train-free and train-based variants. For classification, the iterative judgments stage of IJIP reformulates an (m)-class problem into (m) binary tasks, converting IICL into standard ICL. The integrated prediction stage of IJIP then refines results using both the input and initial predictions. We further extend IJIP to text regression and generation, and introduce lightweight variants that reduce computation and token costs. Across six LLMs, seven tasks, and eight datasets, IJIP achieves state-of-the-art results under two incompleteness settings and even outperforms standard ICL with complete labels. IJIP also supports a semi-supervised variant and can serve as a plug-and-play enhancement for existing ICL and zero-shot methods.

2025

Current multi-task adversarial text attacks rely on abundant access to shared internal features and numerous queries, often limited to a single task type. As a result, these attacks are less effective against practical scenarios involving black-box feedback APIs, limited queries, or multiple task types. To bridge this gap, we propose Cluster and Ensemble Mutil-task Text Adversarial Attack (CEMA), an effective black-box attack that exploits the transferability of adversarial texts across different tasks. CEMA simplifies complex multi-task scenarios by using a deep-level substitute model trained in a plug-and-play manner for text classification, enabling attacks without mimicking the victim model. This approach requires only a few queries for training, converting multi-task attacks into classification attacks and allowing attacks across various tasks. CEMA generates multiple adversarial candidates using different text classification methods and selects the one that most effectively attacks substitute models. In experiments involving multi-task models with two, three, or six tasks—spanning classification, translation, summarization, and text-to-image generation—CEMA demonstrates significant attack success with as few as 100 queries. Furthermore, CEMA can target commercial APIs (e.g., Baidu and Google Translate), large language models (e.g., ChatGPT 4o), and image-generation models (e.g., Stable Diffusion V2), showcasing its versatility and effectiveness in real-world applications.