Streaming, Fast and Slow: Cognitive Load-Aware Streaming for Efficient LLM Serving

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Xiao, Chang, Yang, Brenda
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Xiao, Chang
Yang, Brenda
author_facet Xiao, Chang
Yang, Brenda
contents Generative conversational interfaces powered by large language models (LLMs) typically stream output token-by-token at a rate determined by computational budget, often neglecting actual human reading speeds and the cognitive load associated with the content. This mismatch frequently leads to inefficient use of computational resources. For example, in cloud-based services, streaming content faster than users can read appears unnecessary, resulting in wasted computational resources and potential delays for other users, particularly during peak usage periods. To address this issue, we propose an adaptive streaming method that dynamically adjusts the pacing of LLM streaming output in real-time based on inferred cognitive load. Our approach estimates the cognitive load associated with streaming content and strategically slows down the stream during complex or information-rich segments, thereby freeing computational resources for other users. We conducted a statistical analysis and simulation based on a statistical model derived from data collected in a crowdsourced user study across various types of LLM-generated content. Our results show that this adaptive method can effectively reduce computational consumption while largely maintaining streaming speed above user's normal reading speed.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_17999
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Streaming, Fast and Slow: Cognitive Load-Aware Streaming for Efficient LLM Serving
Xiao, Chang
Yang, Brenda
Human-Computer Interaction
Machine Learning
Generative conversational interfaces powered by large language models (LLMs) typically stream output token-by-token at a rate determined by computational budget, often neglecting actual human reading speeds and the cognitive load associated with the content. This mismatch frequently leads to inefficient use of computational resources. For example, in cloud-based services, streaming content faster than users can read appears unnecessary, resulting in wasted computational resources and potential delays for other users, particularly during peak usage periods. To address this issue, we propose an adaptive streaming method that dynamically adjusts the pacing of LLM streaming output in real-time based on inferred cognitive load. Our approach estimates the cognitive load associated with streaming content and strategically slows down the stream during complex or information-rich segments, thereby freeing computational resources for other users. We conducted a statistical analysis and simulation based on a statistical model derived from data collected in a crowdsourced user study across various types of LLM-generated content. Our results show that this adaptive method can effectively reduce computational consumption while largely maintaining streaming speed above user's normal reading speed.
title Streaming, Fast and Slow: Cognitive Load-Aware Streaming for Efficient LLM Serving
topic Human-Computer Interaction
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.17999