GFlowState: Visualizing the Training of Generative Flow Networks Beyond the Reward

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Holeczek, Florian, Hinterreiter, Andreas, Hernandez-Garcia, Alex, Streit, Marc, Humer, Christina
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Holeczek, Florian
Hinterreiter, Andreas
Hernandez-Garcia, Alex
Streit, Marc
Humer, Christina
author_facet Holeczek, Florian
Hinterreiter, Andreas
Hernandez-Garcia, Alex
Streit, Marc
Humer, Christina
contents We present GFlowState, a visual analytics system designed to illuminate the training process of Generative Flow Networks (GFlowNets or GFNs). GFlowNets are a probabilistic framework for generating samples proportionally to a reward function. While GFlowNets have proved to be powerful tools in applications such as molecule and material discovery, their training dynamics remain difficult to interpret. Standard machine learning tools allow metric tracking but do not reveal how models explore the sample space, construct sample trajectories, or shift sampling probabilities during training. Our solution, GFlowState, allows users to analyze sampling trajectories, compare the sample space relative to reference datasets, and analyze the training dynamics. To this end, we introduce multiple views, including a chart of candidate rankings, a state projection, a node-link diagram of the trajectory network, and a transition heatmap. These visualizations enable GFlowNet developers and users to investigate sampling behavior and policy evolution, and to identify underexplored regions and sources of training failure. Case studies demonstrate how the system supports debugging and assessing the quality of GFlowNets across application domains. By making the structural dynamics of GFlowNets observable, our work enhances their interpretability and can accelerate GFlowNet development in practice.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_21830
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle GFlowState: Visualizing the Training of Generative Flow Networks Beyond the Reward
Holeczek, Florian
Hinterreiter, Andreas
Hernandez-Garcia, Alex
Streit, Marc
Humer, Christina
Machine Learning
Human-Computer Interaction
We present GFlowState, a visual analytics system designed to illuminate the training process of Generative Flow Networks (GFlowNets or GFNs). GFlowNets are a probabilistic framework for generating samples proportionally to a reward function. While GFlowNets have proved to be powerful tools in applications such as molecule and material discovery, their training dynamics remain difficult to interpret. Standard machine learning tools allow metric tracking but do not reveal how models explore the sample space, construct sample trajectories, or shift sampling probabilities during training. Our solution, GFlowState, allows users to analyze sampling trajectories, compare the sample space relative to reference datasets, and analyze the training dynamics. To this end, we introduce multiple views, including a chart of candidate rankings, a state projection, a node-link diagram of the trajectory network, and a transition heatmap. These visualizations enable GFlowNet developers and users to investigate sampling behavior and policy evolution, and to identify underexplored regions and sources of training failure. Case studies demonstrate how the system supports debugging and assessing the quality of GFlowNets across application domains. By making the structural dynamics of GFlowNets observable, our work enhances their interpretability and can accelerate GFlowNet development in practice.
title GFlowState: Visualizing the Training of Generative Flow Networks Beyond the Reward
topic Machine Learning
Human-Computer Interaction
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.21830