Kai Wang
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Unverified author pages with similar names: Kai Wang
2026
EvoSQL: Memory-Augmented Critic-Generator Co-Evolution for Text-to-SQL
Jiawei Zhou | Jianwei Wang | Chenyu Zhou | Chaojian Shi | Ming Dong | Kai Wang
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP 2026
Jiawei Zhou | Jianwei Wang | Chenyu Zhou | Chaojian Shi | Ming Dong | Kai Wang
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP 2026
Text-to-SQL has advanced rapidly with large language models, but complex database queries still require reasoning beyond one-shot generation, including multi-step decomposition, execution-based diagnosis, and targeted correction. We present EvoSQL, a co-evolution framework that formulates SQL synthesis as an iterative interaction between a generator and a critic. Moreover, EvoSQL maintains a contextualized candidate memory, verifies SQL candidates with both execution signals and LLM-based critique, and updates its memory through utility-guided aggregation. To strengthen the underlying generator–critic pair, we further introduce a Self-Distillation Policy Optimization (SDPO) fine-tuning stage that injects execution-aware supervision into current coding LLM backbones. Experiments on Spider and BIRD show that EvoSQL consistently improves open-source models over Maj@16 baselines, with particularly large gains on BIRD-Dev, ranging from +1.37% for Qwen3-4B to +9.19% for Qwen2.5-Coder-3B. SDPO initialization further improves selected backbones on Spider-Test and BIRD-Dev. These results suggest that memory-grounded co-evolution is an effective path toward more reliable and generalizable Text-to-SQL systems.
Are Large Language Models Suitable for Graph Computation? Progress and Prospects
Yuting Zhang | Yi Han | Kai Wang | Wei Ni | Angela Bonifati | Wenjie Zhang
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP 2026
Yuting Zhang | Yi Han | Kai Wang | Wei Ni | Angela Bonifati | Wenjie Zhang
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: EMNLP 2026
Large language models (LLMs) have been increasingly explored for graph computation, where tasks require reasoning over structured relationships and algorithmic operations. Yet, it remains unclear when LLMs can reliably support such computation and how they should be incorporated into graph-solving pipelines. Existing surveys at the intersection of LLMs and graphs primarily focus on graph learning, text-attributed graphs, or graph-language modeling. To bridge this gap, we provide a comprehensive review of LLMs for graph computation through a role-based taxonomy. Specifically, we identify two major paradigms: i) LLMs as executors, where models directly solve graph tasks from graph descriptions and instructions; and ii) LLMs as planners, where models formulate problems, decompose reasoning steps, and invoke external tools or agents for execution. Based on this taxonomy, we analyze the strengths and limitations of current methods. Our review indicates that LLMs are promising for simple, small-scale tasks, but remain unreliable for large-scale and exactness-demanding tasks. Finally, we summarize available datasets and suggest four future directions.
Empowering Tabular Data Preparation with Language Models: Why and How?
Mengshi Chen | Yuxiang Sun | Tengchao Li | Jianwei Wang | Kai Wang | Xuemin Lin | Ying Zhang | Wenjie Zhang
Proceedings of the 64th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers)
Mengshi Chen | Yuxiang Sun | Tengchao Li | Jianwei Wang | Kai Wang | Xuemin Lin | Ying Zhang | Wenjie Zhang
Proceedings of the 64th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers)
Data preparation is a critical step in enhancing the usability of tabular data and thus boosts downstream data-driven tasks. Traditional methods often face challenges in capturing the intricate relationships within tables and adapting to the tasks involved. Recent advances in Language Models (LMs), especially in Large Language Models (LLMs), offer new opportunities to automate and support tabular data preparation. However, why LMs suit tabular data preparation (i.e., how their capabilities match task demands) and how to use them effectively across phases still remain to be systematically explored. In this survey, we systematically analyze the role of LMs in enhancing tabular data preparation processes, focusing on four core phases: data acquisition, integration, cleaning, and transformation. For each phase, we present an integrated analysis of how LMs can be combined with other components for different preparation tasks, highlight key advancements, and outline prospective pipelines.
Agent-based Substructure Counting under Local Differential Privacy
Yuting Zhang | Kai Wang | Wei Ni | Ying Zhang | Wenjie Zhang
Proceedings of the 64th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers)
Yuting Zhang | Kai Wang | Wei Ni | Ying Zhang | Wenjie Zhang
Proceedings of the 64th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 1: Long Papers)
Recent studies have demonstrated the ability of Large Language Models (LLMs) in processing various graph problems. Substructure counting remains challenging in both scalability and accuracy. Incorporating sensitive edge information into the input prompts also introduces significant privacy risks of exposing the private information of user connections in real-world applications. This paper, for the first time, studies substructure counting for LLMs under edge local differential privacy (LDP) in a multi-agent framework. Unlike the Naive approach whose estimation relies entirely on overly dense noisy graphs, the proposed PSC framework decomposes substructure counting into node-level tasks distributed among node agents, and embeds the knowledge of distributed algorithms and DP frameworks in the curator agent and privacy controller, respectively. Thus, we can leverage the local neighboring information and reasoning capabilities of node agents to improve the estimation accuracy. Extensive experiments on 6 real-world datasets validate the effectiveness of PSC framework for substructure counting tasks under 𝜀-edge LDP. Moreover, the non-DP version of PSC also demonstrated superior performance over a single LLM on standard substructure counting tasks.