Lifting Data-Tracing Machine Unlearning to Knowledge-Tracing for Foundation Models

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Tan, Yuwen, Gong, Boqing
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Tan, Yuwen
Gong, Boqing
author_facet Tan, Yuwen
Gong, Boqing
contents Machine unlearning removes certain training data points and their influence from AI models (e.g., when a data owner revokes their consent to allow models to learn from the data). In this position paper, we propose to lift data-tracing machine unlearning to knowledge-tracing for foundation models (FMs). We support this position based on practical needs and insights from cognitive studies. Practically, tracing data cannot meet the diverse unlearning requests for FMs, which may be from regulators, enterprise users, product teams, etc., who have no access to FMs' massive training data. Instead, it is convenient for these parties to issue an unlearning request about the knowledge or capability FMs (should not) possess. Cognitively, knowledge-tracing unlearning aligns with how the human brain forgets more closely than tracing individual training data points does. We further discuss the nontrivial challenges in the knowledge-tracing machine unlearning paradigm. Finally, we provide a concrete case study about a vision-language FM to illustrate how an unlearner might instantiate the knowledge-tracing machine unlearning paradigm. Code is available at: https://1yuwen.github.io/Knowledge-Tracing-MU-Page.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_11253
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Lifting Data-Tracing Machine Unlearning to Knowledge-Tracing for Foundation Models
Tan, Yuwen
Gong, Boqing
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Machine Learning
Machine unlearning removes certain training data points and their influence from AI models (e.g., when a data owner revokes their consent to allow models to learn from the data). In this position paper, we propose to lift data-tracing machine unlearning to knowledge-tracing for foundation models (FMs). We support this position based on practical needs and insights from cognitive studies. Practically, tracing data cannot meet the diverse unlearning requests for FMs, which may be from regulators, enterprise users, product teams, etc., who have no access to FMs' massive training data. Instead, it is convenient for these parties to issue an unlearning request about the knowledge or capability FMs (should not) possess. Cognitively, knowledge-tracing unlearning aligns with how the human brain forgets more closely than tracing individual training data points does. We further discuss the nontrivial challenges in the knowledge-tracing machine unlearning paradigm. Finally, we provide a concrete case study about a vision-language FM to illustrate how an unlearner might instantiate the knowledge-tracing machine unlearning paradigm. Code is available at: https://1yuwen.github.io/Knowledge-Tracing-MU-Page.
title Lifting Data-Tracing Machine Unlearning to Knowledge-Tracing for Foundation Models
topic Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.11253