When Do Frozen VLMs Respond to Image-Free Object-Token Edits? An Answer-Key-Free Protocol and What It Reveals
Answering what-if queries about a scene with a VLM usually means injecting the assumption as text or repainting the scene with a generative model. We instead move the edit to the representation level, before the model input. The image is abstracted into a set of object-level tokens, and the original image never enters the VLM. This design rests on an open question: when do frozen VLMs actually respond to such token edits? We introduce an answer-key-free protocol: no post-edit answer is annotated. It scores edits whose answers are logically determined, and audits itself by reversing each scoreable choice. The protocol reveals three structures. The response is not free: explicit edit teachi...
| Authors | Wonbin Son, Gyumun Choi, Junil Seo et al. |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.CV |
| Published | 3 September 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 3 September 2026 |
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