Joint Source-Channel-Generation Coding: From Distortion-oriented Reconstruction to Semantic-consistent Generation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Wu, Tong, Chen, Zhiyong, Lu, Guo, Song, Li, Yang, Feng, Tao, Meixia, Zhang, Wenjun
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Wu, Tong
Chen, Zhiyong
Lu, Guo
Song, Li
Yang, Feng
Tao, Meixia
Zhang, Wenjun
author_facet Wu, Tong
Chen, Zhiyong
Lu, Guo
Song, Li
Yang, Feng
Tao, Meixia
Zhang, Wenjun
contents Conventional communication systems, including both separation-based coding and AI-driven joint source-channel coding (JSCC), are largely guided by Shannon's rate-distortion theory. However, relying on generic distortion metrics fails to capture complex human visual perception, often resulting in blurred or unrealistic reconstructions. In this paper, we propose Joint Source-Channel-Generation Coding (JSCGC), a novel paradigm that shifts the focus from deterministic reconstruction to probabilistic generation. JSCGC leverages a generative model at the receiver as a generator rather than a conventional decoder to parameterize the data distribution, enabling direct maximization of mutual information under channel constraints while controlling stochastic sampling to produce outputs residing on the authentic data manifold with high fidelity. We further derive a theoretical lower bound on the maximum semantic inconsistency with given transmitted mutual information, elucidating the fundamental limits of communication in controlling the generative process. Extensive experiments on image transmission demonstrate that JSCGC substantially improves perceptual quality and semantic fidelity, significantly outperforming conventional distortion-oriented JSCC methods.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_12808
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Joint Source-Channel-Generation Coding: From Distortion-oriented Reconstruction to Semantic-consistent Generation
Wu, Tong
Chen, Zhiyong
Lu, Guo
Song, Li
Yang, Feng
Tao, Meixia
Zhang, Wenjun
Information Theory
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Machine Learning
Conventional communication systems, including both separation-based coding and AI-driven joint source-channel coding (JSCC), are largely guided by Shannon's rate-distortion theory. However, relying on generic distortion metrics fails to capture complex human visual perception, often resulting in blurred or unrealistic reconstructions. In this paper, we propose Joint Source-Channel-Generation Coding (JSCGC), a novel paradigm that shifts the focus from deterministic reconstruction to probabilistic generation. JSCGC leverages a generative model at the receiver as a generator rather than a conventional decoder to parameterize the data distribution, enabling direct maximization of mutual information under channel constraints while controlling stochastic sampling to produce outputs residing on the authentic data manifold with high fidelity. We further derive a theoretical lower bound on the maximum semantic inconsistency with given transmitted mutual information, elucidating the fundamental limits of communication in controlling the generative process. Extensive experiments on image transmission demonstrate that JSCGC substantially improves perceptual quality and semantic fidelity, significantly outperforming conventional distortion-oriented JSCC methods.
title Joint Source-Channel-Generation Coding: From Distortion-oriented Reconstruction to Semantic-consistent Generation
topic Information Theory
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12808