Core Insights - The article discusses the transformative impact of foundational models on the autonomous driving perception domain, shifting from task-specific deep learning models to versatile architectures trained on vast and diverse datasets [2][4] - It introduces a new classification framework focusing on four core capabilities essential for robust performance in dynamic driving environments: general knowledge, spatial understanding, multi-sensor robustness, and temporal reasoning [2][5] Group 1: Introduction and Background - Autonomous driving perception is crucial for enabling vehicles to interpret their surroundings in real-time, involving key tasks such as object detection, semantic segmentation, and tracking [3] - Traditional models, designed for specific tasks, exhibit limited scalability and poor generalization, particularly in "long-tail scenarios" where rare but critical events occur [3][4] Group 2: Foundational Models - Foundational models, developed through self-supervised or unsupervised learning strategies, leverage large-scale datasets to learn general representations applicable across various downstream tasks [4][5] - These models demonstrate significant advantages in autonomous driving due to their inherent generalization capabilities, efficient transfer learning, and reduced reliance on labeled datasets [4][5] Group 3: Key Capabilities - The four key dimensions for designing foundational models tailored for autonomous driving perception are: 1. General Knowledge: Ability to adapt to a wide range of driving scenarios, including rare situations [5][6] 2. Spatial Understanding: Deep comprehension of 3D spatial structures and relationships [5][6] 3. Multi-Sensor Robustness: Maintaining high performance under varying environmental conditions and sensor failures [5][6] 4. Temporal Reasoning: Capturing temporal dependencies and predicting future states of the environment [6] Group 4: Integration and Challenges - The article outlines three mechanisms for integrating foundational models into autonomous driving technology stacks: feature-level distillation, pseudo-label supervision, and direct integration [37][40] - It highlights the challenges faced in deploying these models, including the need for effective domain adaptation, addressing hallucination risks, and ensuring efficiency in real-time applications [58][61] Group 5: Future Directions - The article emphasizes the importance of advancing research in foundational models to enhance their safety and effectiveness in autonomous driving systems, addressing current limitations and exploring new methodologies [2][5][58]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the current state of large language models (LLMs) and the challenges they face in achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), emphasizing the need for new paradigms beyond the existing autoregressive (AR) models [4][10][18]. Group 1: Current Challenges in AI Models - Ilya, a prominent AI researcher, warns that data extraction has reached its limits, hindering the progress towards AGI [2][4]. - The existing LLMs often exhibit significant performance discrepancies, with some capable of outperforming human experts while others struggle with basic tasks [13][15]. - The autoregressive model's limitations include a lack of bidirectional modeling and the inability to correct errors during generation, leading to fundamental misunderstandings in tasks like translation and medical diagnosis [26][27][18]. Group 2: New Directions in AI Research - Elon Musk proposes a "purified data" approach to rewrite human knowledge as a potential pathway to AGI [5]. - Researchers are exploring multimodal approaches, with experts like Fei-Fei Li emphasizing the importance of visual understanding as a cornerstone of intelligence [8]. - A new paradigm, the diffusion model, is being introduced by young scholars, which contrasts with the traditional autoregressive approach by allowing for parallel decoding and iterative correction [12][28]. Group 3: Development of LLaDA-MoE - The LLaDA-MoE model, based on diffusion theory, was announced as a significant advancement in the field, showcasing a new approach to language modeling [12][66]. - LLaDA-MoE has a total parameter count of 7 billion, with 1.4 billion activated parameters, and has been trained on approximately 20 terabytes of data, demonstrating its scalability and stability [66][67]. - The model's performance in benchmark tests indicates that it can compete with existing autoregressive models, suggesting a viable alternative path for future AI development [67][71]. Group 4: Future Prospects and Community Involvement - The development of LLaDA-MoE represents a milestone in the exploration of diffusion models, with plans for further scaling and improvement [72][74]. - The team emphasizes the importance of community collaboration in advancing the diffusion model research, similar to the development of autoregressive models [74][79]. - Ant Group's commitment to investing in AGI research reflects a strategic shift towards exploring innovative and potentially high-risk areas in AI [79].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the development and features of the PLUTO model within the end-to-end autonomous driving domain, emphasizing its unique two-stage architecture and its direct encoding of structured perception outputs for downstream control tasks [1][2]. Summary by Sections Overview of PLUTO - PLUTO is characterized by its three main losses: regression loss, classification loss, and imitation learning loss, which collectively contribute to the model's performance [7]. - Additional auxiliary losses are incorporated to aid model convergence [9]. Course Introduction - The article introduces a new course titled "End-to-End and VLA Autonomous Driving," developed in collaboration with top algorithm experts from domestic leading manufacturers, aimed at addressing the challenges faced by learners in this rapidly evolving field [12][15]. Learning Challenges - The course addresses the difficulties learners face due to the fast-paced development of technology and the fragmented nature of knowledge across various domains, making it hard for beginners to grasp the necessary concepts [13]. Course Features - The course is designed to provide quick entry into the field, build a framework for research capabilities, and combine theory with practical applications [15][16][17]. Course Outline - The course consists of several chapters covering topics such as the history and evolution of end-to-end algorithms, background knowledge on various technologies, and detailed discussions on both one-stage and two-stage end-to-end methods [20][21][22][29]. Practical Application - The course includes practical assignments, such as RLHF fine-tuning, allowing students to apply their theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios [31]. Instructor Background - The instructor, Jason, has a strong academic and practical background in cutting-edge algorithms related to end-to-end and large models, contributing to the course's credibility [32]. Target Audience and Expected Outcomes - The course is aimed at individuals with a foundational understanding of autonomous driving and related technologies, with the goal of elevating their skills to the level of an end-to-end autonomous driving algorithm engineer within a year [36].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses advancements in AI image generation, specifically focusing on the introduction of two key methods, Direct-Align and Semantic Relative Preference Optimization (SRPO), which significantly enhance the quality and aesthetic appeal of generated images [5][14]. Group 1: Current Challenges in Diffusion Models - Existing diffusion models face two main issues: limited optimization steps leading to "reward hacking," and the need for offline adjustments to the reward model for achieving good aesthetic results [4][8]. - The optimization process is constrained to the last few steps of the diffusion process due to high gradient computation costs [8]. Group 2: Direct-Align Method - Direct-Align method allows for the recovery of original images from any time step by pre-injecting noise, thus avoiding the limitations of optimizing only in later steps [5][10]. - This method enables the model to recover clear images from high noise states, addressing the gradient explosion problem during early time step backpropagation [11]. - Experiments show that even at just 5% denoising progress, Direct-Align can recover a rough structure of the image [11][19]. Group 3: Semantic Relative Preference Optimization (SRPO) - SRPO redefines rewards as text-conditioned signals, allowing for online adjustments without additional data by using positive and negative prompt words [14][16]. - The method enhances the model's ability to generate images with improved realism and aesthetic quality, achieving approximately 3.7 times and 3.1 times improvements, respectively [16]. - SRPO allows for flexible style adjustments, such as brightness and cartoon style conversion, based on the frequency of control words in the training set [16]. Group 4: Experimental Results - Comprehensive experiments on the FLUX.1-dev model demonstrate that SRPO outperforms other methods like ReFL, DRaFT, and DanceGRPO across multiple evaluation metrics [17]. - In human evaluations, the excellent rate for realism increased from 8.2% to 38.9% and for aesthetic quality from 9.8% to 40.5% after SRPO training [17][18]. - Notably, a mere 10 minutes of SRPO training allowed FLUX.1-dev to surpass the latest open-source version FLUX.1.Krea on the HPDv2 benchmark [19].

Core Viewpoint - The article presents a novel end-to-end autonomous driving strategy called Knowledge-Driven Diffusion Policy (KDP), which integrates diffusion models and Mixture of Experts (MoE) to enhance decision-making capabilities in complex driving scenarios [4][72]. Group 1: Challenges in Current Autonomous Driving Approaches - Existing end-to-end methods face challenges such as inadequate handling of multimodal distributions, leading to unsafe or hesitant driving behaviors [2][8]. - Reinforcement learning methods require extensive data and exhibit instability during training, making them difficult to scale in high-safety real-world scenarios [2][8]. - Recent advancements in large models, including visual-language models, show promise in understanding scenes but struggle with inference speed and safety in continuous control scenarios [3][10]. Group 2: Diffusion Models and Their Application - Diffusion models are transforming generative modeling in various fields, offering a robust way to express diverse driving choices while maintaining temporal consistency and training stability [3][12]. - The diffusion policy (DP) treats action generation as a "denoising" process, effectively addressing the diversity and long-term stability issues in driving decisions [3][12]. Group 3: Mixture of Experts (MoE) Framework - MoE technology allows for the activation of a limited number of experts on demand, enhancing computational efficiency and modularity in large models [3][15]. - In autonomous driving, MoE has been applied for multi-task strategies, but existing designs often limit expert reusability and flexibility [3][15]. Group 4: Knowledge-Driven Diffusion Policy (KDP) - KDP combines the strengths of diffusion models and MoE, ensuring diverse and stable trajectory generation while organizing experts into structured "knowledge units" for flexible combination based on different driving scenarios [4][6]. - Experimental results demonstrate KDP's advantages in diversity, stability, and generalization compared to traditional methods [4][6]. Group 5: Experimental Validation - The method was evaluated in a simulation environment with diverse driving scenarios, showing superior performance in safety, generalization, and efficiency compared to existing baseline models [39][49]. - The KDP framework achieved a 100% success rate in simpler scenarios and maintained high performance in more complex environments, indicating its robustness [57][72].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the introduction of the Transition Model (TiM) as a new paradigm in generative modeling, aiming to reconcile the trade-off between generation speed and quality by modeling state transitions between any two time points, rather than focusing solely on instantaneous velocity fields or fixed-span endpoint mappings [3][8][34]. Group 1: Background and Challenges - Traditional generative models face a fundamental conflict between generation quality and speed, primarily due to their training objectives [2][6]. - Existing diffusion models rely on local vector fields, which require small time steps for accurate sampling, leading to high computational costs [5][6]. - Few-step models, while faster, often encounter a "quality ceiling" due to their inability to capture intermediate dynamics, limiting their generation capabilities [5][7]. Group 2: Transition Model Overview - The Transition Model abandons traditional approaches by directly modeling the complete state transition between any two time points, allowing for flexible sampling steps [4][8]. - This model supports arbitrary step sizes and decomposes the generation process into multiple adjustable segments, enhancing both speed and fidelity [8][10]. Group 3: Mathematical Foundations - The Transition Model is based on a "State Transition Identity," which simplifies the differential equations governing state transitions, enabling the description of specific transitions over arbitrary time intervals [12][16]. - Unlike diffusion and mean flow models, which focus on instantaneous or average velocity fields, the Transition Model encompasses both, providing a more comprehensive framework for generative modeling [16][17]. Group 4: Experimental Validation - The Transition Model has been validated on the Geneval dataset, demonstrating that an 865M parameter version can outperform larger models (12B parameters) in terms of generation capabilities [20][34]. - The model's training stability and scalability have been enhanced through the introduction of a differential derivative equation (DDE) approach, which is more efficient and compatible with modern training optimizations [25][33]. Group 5: Conclusion - Overall, the Transition Model offers a more universal, scalable, and stable approach to generative modeling, addressing the inherent conflict between speed and quality in generative processes [35].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the significance and application of Diffusion Models in various fields, particularly in autonomous driving, emphasizing their ability to denoise and generate data effectively [1][2][11]. Summary by Sections Introduction to Diffusion Models - Diffusion Models are generative models that focus on denoising, learning the distribution of data through a forward diffusion process and a reverse generation process [2][4]. - The concept is illustrated through the analogy of ink dispersing in water, where the model aims to recover the original data from noise [2]. Applications in Autonomous Driving - In the field of autonomous driving, Diffusion Models are utilized for data generation, scene prediction, perception enhancement, and path planning [11]. - They can handle both continuous and discrete noise, making them versatile for various decision-making tasks [11]. Course Offering - The article promotes a new course on end-to-end and VLA (Vision-Language Alignment) algorithms in autonomous driving, developed in collaboration with top industry experts [14][17]. - The course aims to address the challenges faced by learners in keeping up with rapid technological advancements and fragmented knowledge in the field [15][18]. Course Structure - The course is structured into several chapters, covering topics such as the history of end-to-end algorithms, background knowledge on VLA, and detailed discussions on various methodologies including one-stage and two-stage end-to-end approaches [22][23][24]. - Special emphasis is placed on the integration of Diffusion Models in multi-modal trajectory prediction, highlighting their growing importance in the industry [28]. Learning Outcomes - Participants are expected to achieve a level of understanding equivalent to one year of experience as an end-to-end autonomous driving algorithm engineer, mastering key frameworks and technologies [38][39]. - The course includes practical components to ensure a comprehensive learning experience, bridging theory and application [19][36].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the significance and application of Diffusion Models in various fields, particularly in autonomous driving, emphasizing their ability to denoise and generate data effectively [1][2][11]. Summary by Sections Introduction to Diffusion Models - Diffusion Models are generative models that focus on denoising, where noise follows a specific distribution. The model learns to recover original data from noise through a forward diffusion process and a reverse generation process [1][2]. Applications in Autonomous Driving - In the field of autonomous driving, Diffusion Models are utilized for data generation, scene prediction, perception enhancement, and path planning. They can handle both continuous and discrete noise, making them versatile for various decision-making tasks [11]. Course Overview - The article promotes a new course titled "End-to-End and VLA Autonomous Driving," developed in collaboration with top algorithm experts. The course aims to provide in-depth knowledge of end-to-end algorithms and VLA technology [15][22]. Course Structure - The course is structured into several chapters, covering topics such as: - Comprehensive understanding of end-to-end autonomous driving [18] - In-depth background knowledge including large language models, BEV perception, and Diffusion Model theory [21][28] - Exploration of two-stage and one-stage end-to-end methods, including the latest advancements in the field [29][36] Learning Outcomes - Participants are expected to gain a solid understanding of the end-to-end technology framework, including one-stage, two-stage, world models, and Diffusion Models. The course also aims to enhance knowledge of key technologies like BEV perception and reinforcement learning [41][43].

Group 1 - The article announces the recruitment of 10 partners for the autonomous driving sector, focusing on course development, research guidance, and hardware development [2][5] - The recruitment targets individuals with expertise in various advanced models and technologies related to autonomous driving, such as large models, multimodal models, and 3D target detection [3] - Candidates are preferred from QS top 200 universities with a master's degree or higher, especially those with significant conference contributions [4] Group 2 - The company offers benefits including resource sharing for job seeking, PhD recommendations, and study abroad opportunities, along with substantial cash incentives [5] - There are opportunities for collaboration on entrepreneurial projects [5] - Interested parties are encouraged to contact the company via WeChat for further inquiries [6]

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article emphasizes the importance of trajectory prediction in autonomous driving and related fields, highlighting that end-to-end methods are not yet widely adopted, and trajectory prediction remains a key area of research [1][3]. - The article discusses the integration of diffusion models into trajectory prediction, which significantly enhances multi-modal modeling capabilities, with specific models like Leapfrog Diffusion Model (LED) achieving real-time predictions and improving accuracy by 19-30 times on various datasets [2][3]. - The course aims to provide a systematic understanding of trajectory prediction, combining theoretical knowledge with practical coding skills, and assisting students in developing their own models and writing research papers [6][8]. Group 2 - The target audience for the course includes graduate students and professionals in trajectory prediction and autonomous driving, who seek to enhance their research capabilities and understand cutting-edge developments in the field [8][10]. - The course offers a comprehensive curriculum that includes classic and cutting-edge papers, baseline codes, and methodologies for selecting research topics, conducting experiments, and writing papers [20][30]. - The course structure includes 12 weeks of online group research followed by 2 weeks of paper guidance, ensuring participants gain practical experience and produce a research paper draft by the end of the program [31][35].