Autoregressive models dominate text generation but suffer from left-to-right decoding constraints that limit efficiency and bidirectional reasoning. Diffusion-based models offer a flexible alternative but face challenges in adapting to discrete text efficiently. We propose LAD (LoRA-Adapted Diffusion), a framework for non-autoregressive generation that adapts LLaMA models for iterative, bidirectional sequence refinement using LoRA adapters. LAD employs a structural denoising objective combining masking with text perturbations (swaps, duplications and span shifts), enabling full sequence editing during generation. We aim to demonstrate that LAD could be a viable and efficient alternative to training diffusion models from scratch, by providing both validation results as well as two interactive demos directly available online:https://ruurdkuiper.github.io/tini-lad/https://huggingface.co/spaces/Ruurd/tini-ladInference and training code:https://github.com/RuurdKuiper/lad-code

Understanding the sources of variability in annotations is crucial for developing fair NLP systems, especially for tasks like sexism detection where demographic bias is a concern. This study investigates the extent to which annotator demographic features influence labeling decisions compared to text content. Using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model, we quantify this influence, finding that while statistically present, demographic factors account for a minor fraction (~8%) of the observed variance, with tweet content being the dominant factor. We then assess the reliability of Generative AI (GenAI) models as annotators, specifically evaluating if guiding them with demographic personas improves alignment with human judgments. Our results indicate that simplistic persona prompting often fails to enhance, and sometimes degrades, performance compared to baseline models. Furthermore, explainable AI (XAI) techniques reveal that model predictions rely heavily on content-specific tokens related to sexism, rather than correlates of demographic characteristics. We argue that focusing on content-driven explanations and robust annotation protocols offers a more reliable path towards fairness than potentially persona simulation.

Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have established them as powerful tools across numerous domains. However, persistent concerns about embedded biases, such as gender, racial, and cultural biases arising from their training data, raise significant questions about the ethical use and societal consequences of these technologies. This study investigates the extent to which LLMs capture cross-cultural differences and similarities in moral perspectives. Specifically, we examine whether LLM outputs align with patterns observed in international survey data on moral attitudes. To this end, we employ three complementary methods: (1) comparing variances in moral scores produced by models versus those reported in surveys, (2) conducting cluster alignment analyses to assess correspondence between country groupings derived from LLM outputs and survey data, and (3) directly probing models with comparative prompts using systematically chosen token pairs. Our results reveal that current LLMs often fail to reproduce the full spectrum of cross-cultural moral variation, tending to compress differences and exhibit low alignment with empirical survey patterns. These findings highlight a pressing need for more robust approaches to mitigate biases and improve cultural representativeness in LLMs. We conclude by discussing the implications for the responsible development and global deployment of LLMs, emphasizing fairness and ethical alignment.

Text-based personality computing (TPC) has gained many research interests in NLP. In this paper, we describe 15 challenges that we consider deserving the attention of the NLP research community. These challenges are organized by the following topics: personality taxonomies, measurement quality, datasets, performance evaluation, modelling choices, as well as ethics and fairness. When addressing each challenge, not only do we combine perspectives from both NLP and social sciences, but also offer concrete suggestions. We hope to inspire more valid and reliable TPC research.