Denoising as Projection: Constrained Optimization with Gradient-Guided Diffusion
Diffusion models are increasingly used not only for sampling from learned data distributions, but also for generating samples that optimize task-specific objectives. A common approach is to guide the reverse diffusion process using gradients of an external objective. However, when the data distribution is supported on a structured feasible set, such as a manifold or a constraint set, gradient guidance can move samples away from the learned data geometry. In this paper, we study a simple projected-gradient-guided diffusion update based on the observation that the Stein denoising operator can act as an approximate projection onto the data geometry. The proposed update incorporates the objec...
| Authors | Runyu Zhang, Jiawei Zhang, Gioele Zardini et al. |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.LG |
| Published | 30 August 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 11 September 2026 |
Silytics shows public metadata from arXiv and links to the original. Information may be incomplete or out of date. Last refreshed 17 October 2026. Licenses and terms of the original apply to the work itself. Not financial, legal or professional advice.