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Training-Free Task Vectors for LLM Behavioral Control

Research LLMs & Foundation Models

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TL;DR - Training-Free Task Vectors (TFTVs) convert activation-steering directions into rank-one weight edits using only forward-pass statistics, eliminating task-vector fine-tuning. The method enables composable behavioral control while preserving general model capabilities.

  • TFTVs support behavior amplification through addition, suppression through subtraction, and composition of multiple edits.
  • The approach maps activation-steering vectors into weight space without model fine-tuning.
  • Across LLM behavioral-control tasks, TFTVs consistently controlled target traits while retaining general knowledge and problem-solving skills.
  • Compared with editing and steering baselines, TFTVs delivered stronger trait control with competitive or better utility preservation.

Sources (1)

Training-Free Task Vectors for LLM Behavioral Control

arXiv cs.LG Gabriel J. Perin, Lucas Boscaini, André Araujo, Nina S. T. Hirata 2026-09-08 arXiv:2609.09054
Public signals Semantic Scholar citations 0 · Semantic Scholar influential citations 0
Providers: Hugging Face · N/A OpenAlex · N/A Publisher · N/A Semantic Scholar · Citations 0 · Influential citations 0 X · N/A Fetched 2026-09-18 14:16:57.025637 UTC

TL;DR - Training-Free Task Vectors (TFTVs) convert activation-steering directions into rank-one weight edits using only forward-pass statistics, eliminating task-vector fine-tuning. The method enables composable behavioral control while preserving general model capabilities.

  • TFTVs support behavior amplification through addition, suppression through subtraction, and composition of multiple edits.
  • The approach maps activation-steering vectors into weight space without model fine-tuning.
  • Across LLM behavioral-control tasks, TFTVs consistently controlled target traits while retaining general knowledge and problem-solving skills.
  • Compared with editing and steering baselines, TFTVs delivered stronger trait control with competitive or better utility preservation.
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