Irene Lago
Author directory2026
Synthetic Data Characterization via Training Dynamics
Irene Lago | Ana Ezquerro | David Vilares
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP 2026
Irene Lago | Ana Ezquerro | David Vilares
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP 2026
Interpreting properties of LLM-generated data is important for understanding its utility and limitations across learning tasks. In this work, we characterize synthetic data through sample-level learnability, studying variation among LLM families and scales, alongside human-written data as a reference. We generate synthetic datasets spanning single- and multi-label classification, labeling, and tree prediction tasks using LLMs from multiple families and scales. We then derive empirical data distributions from encoder training dynamics for both machine and organic data, and estimate the robustness of these distributions across encoders. Finally, we evaluate how data selection strategies based on these learnability signals affect both data sources differently.