Umeå University's logo

umu.sePublications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Beyond the Generative Learning Trilemma: generative model assessment in data scarcity domains
Research Unit of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Systems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
Research Unit of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Systems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
UniCamillus-Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Rome, Italy.
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Intervention. Research Unit of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Systems, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2621-072X
Show others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: IEEE Access, E-ISSN 2169-3536, Vol. 14, p. 117679-117696Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Data scarcity remains a critical bottleneck impeding technological advancements across various domains, including but not limited to medicine and precision agriculture. To address this challenge, we explore the potential of Deep Generative Models (DGMs) in producing synthetic data that satisfies the Generative Learning Trilemma: fidelity, diversity, and sampling efficiency. However, recognizing that these criteria alone are insufficient for practical applications, we extend the trilemma to include utility, robustness, and privacy, factors crucial for ensuring the applicability of DGMs in real-world scenarios. Evaluating these metrics becomes particularly challenging in data-scarce environments, as DGMs traditionally rely on large datasets to perform optimally. This limitation is especially pronounced in domains like medicine and precision agriculture, where ensuring acceptable model performance under data constraints is vital. To address these challenges, we assess the Generative Learning Trilemma in data-scarcity settings using state-of-the-art evaluation metrics, comparing three prominent DGMs: Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), and Diffusion Models (DMs). Furthermore, we propose a comprehensive framework to assess utility, robustness, and privacy in synthetic data generated by DGMs. Our findings demonstrate varying strengths among DGMs, with each model exhibiting unique advantages based on the application context. This study broadens the scope of the Generative Learning Trilemma, aligning it with real-world demands and providing actionable guidance for selecting DGMs tailored to specific applications.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2026. Vol. 14, p. 117679-117696
Keywords [en]
Data Scarcity, Deep Generative Models, Generative Learning Trilemma, Medicine, Precision Agriculture, Synthetic Data
National Category
Computer Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-257595DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3718041ISI: 001843514900034Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105046334797OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-257595DiVA, id: diva2:2095259
Available from: 2026-08-25 Created: 2026-08-25 Last updated: 2026-08-25Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(3150 kB)19 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 3150 kBChecksum SHA-512
2931da797ec0ea73b9c992e4a5b06c04a65ee279c34e8549a4503b5b92a2aad9b5df40ee778fc5c1fcf499538fe7e77b39a0ccf0d6187f0485067d73df252ba0
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Soda, Paolo

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Soda, Paolo
By organisation
Department of Diagnostics and Intervention
In the same journal
IEEE Access
Computer Sciences

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 1130 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf