研究多智能体系统中信息污染如何导致推理路径偏离却仍得正确答案。
Trace-Level Analysis of Information Contamination in Multi-Agent Systems
- 通过注入结构化扰动,追踪任务执行轨迹变化
- 发现错误输出与路径差异可独立存在,有三类污染表现
- 适合关注AI可靠性、安全验证的开发者和研究者
在多智能体系统中,对异构文档(如PDF、表格、幻灯片)进行推理时,信息不确定性不仅影响输入质量,还会改变任务分解与路由决策,重塑中间状态并生成不同执行轨迹。本文将不确定性作为可控变量,向文档表示中注入结构化扰动,在32个GAIA任务上使用三种语言模型执行614次配对实验,通过日志记录量化计划、工具调用和中间状态的轨迹分歧。结果发现:任务路径显著偏离但可能恢复正确答案,或路径相似却输出错误。识别出三类污染表现:隐性语义污染、行为绕行后恢复、结构性破坏与控制流异常(如重定向、延长执行、提前终止)。测量了操作成本,并揭示常见验证机制为何失效。贡献包括:(i) 结构化工作流中污染表现的正式分类;(ii) 基于轨迹的污染检测与定位框架;(iii) 面向针对性验证、防御性设计和成本控制的实证依据。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Reasoning over heterogeneous artifacts (PDFs, spreadsheets, slide decks, etc.) increasingly occurs within structured agent workflows that iteratively extract, transform, and reference external information. In these workflows, uncertainty is not merely an input-quality issue: it can redirect decomposition and routing decisions, reshape intermediate state, and produce qualitatively different execution trajectories. We study this phenomenon by treating uncertainty as a controlled variable: we inject structured perturbations into artifact-derived representations, execute fixed workflows under comprehensive logging, and quantify contamination via trace divergence in plans, tool invocations, and intermediate state. Across 614 paired runs on 32 GAIA tasks with three different language models, we find a decoupling: workflows may diverge substantially yet recover correct answers, or remain structurally similar while producing incorrect outputs. We characterize three manifestation types: silent semantic corruption, behavioral detours with recovery, and combined structural disruption and their control-flow signatures (rerouting, extended execution, early termination). We measure operational costs and characterize why commonly used verification guardrails fail to intercept contamination. We contribute (i) a formal taxonomy of contamination manifestations in structured workflows, (ii) a trace-based measurement framework for detecting and localizing contamination across agent interactions, and (iii) empirical evidence with implications for targeted verification, defensive design, and cost control.
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