{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7135090136","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","title":"From Verification to Herding: Exploiting Software's Sparsity of Influence","display_name":"From Verification to Herding: Exploiting Software's Sparsity of Influence","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-03-11","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7135090136","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":"2331-8422","issn":["2331-8422"],"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5128905402","display_name":"Tim Menzies","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Menzies, Tim","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5128882454","display_name":"Kishan Kumar Ganguly","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Ganguly, Kishan Kumar","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11689","display_name":"Adversarial Robustness in Machine Learning","score":0.4115999937057495,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11689","display_name":"Adversarial Robustness in Machine Learning","score":0.4115999937057495,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10743","display_name":"Software Testing and Debugging Techniques","score":0.149399995803833,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1712","display_name":"Software"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10260","display_name":"Software Engineering Research","score":0.09690000116825104,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1710","display_name":"Information Systems"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/task","display_name":"Task (project management)","score":0.6830000281333923},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/software-verification","display_name":"Software verification","score":0.6201000213623047},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/software","display_name":"Software","score":0.5867000222206116},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/state","display_name":"State (computer science)","score":0.552299976348877},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/exploit","display_name":"Exploit","score":0.5418000221252441},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/software-system","display_name":"Software system","score":0.4068000018596649},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/verification-and-validation","display_name":"Verification and validation","score":0.3619000017642975}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.7117000222206116},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780451532","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q759676","display_name":"Task (project management)","level":2,"score":0.6830000281333923},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C33054407","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6504747","display_name":"Software verification","level":5,"score":0.6201000213623047},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2777904410","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7397","display_name":"Software","level":2,"score":0.5867000222206116},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C48103436","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q599031","display_name":"State (computer science)","level":2,"score":0.552299976348877},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C165696696","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11287","display_name":"Exploit","level":2,"score":0.5418000221252441},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C149091818","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2429814","display_name":"Software system","level":3,"score":0.4068000018596649},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C80444323","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2878974","display_name":"Theoretical computer science","level":1,"score":0.39730000495910645},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C48002344","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2919644","display_name":"Verification and validation","level":2,"score":0.3619000017642975},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C26517878","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q228039","display_name":"Key (lock)","level":2,"score":0.3312000036239624},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C55439883","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q360812","display_name":"Correctness","level":2,"score":0.32120001316070557},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C11413529","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8366","display_name":"Algorithm","level":1,"score":0.30320000648498535},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C77618280","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1155772","display_name":"Scheme (mathematics)","level":2,"score":0.30079999566078186},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C115903868","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q80993","display_name":"Software engineering","level":1,"score":0.296099990606308},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C124101348","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q172491","display_name":"Data mining","level":1,"score":0.2930999994277954},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C110251889","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1569697","display_name":"Model checking","level":2,"score":0.29269999265670776},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C111498074","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q173326","display_name":"Formal verification","level":2,"score":0.29109999537467957},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C154945302","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11660","display_name":"Artificial intelligence","level":1,"score":0.2800999879837036},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199360897","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9143","display_name":"Programming language","level":1,"score":0.27730000019073486},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C72434380","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q230930","display_name":"State space","level":2,"score":0.26829999685287476},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C79403827","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3988","display_name":"Real-time computing","level":1,"score":0.26429998874664307},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C167822520","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q176452","display_name":"Finite-state machine","level":2,"score":0.25839999318122864}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":"2331-8422","issn":["2331-8422"],"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2603.10478","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":"2331-8422","issn":["2331-8422"],"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"sustainable_development_goals":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Software":[0],"verification":[1,23],"is":[2],"now":[3],"costly,":[4],"taking":[5],"over":[6],"half":[7],"the":[8,43],"project":[9],"effort":[10],"while":[11],"failing":[12],"on":[13],"modern":[14],"complex":[15],"systems.":[16],"We":[17,62],"hence":[18],"propose":[19],"a":[20,31,59,68],"shift":[21],"from":[22],"and":[24],"modeling":[25],"to":[26],"herding:":[27],"treating":[28],"testing":[29],"as":[30],"model-free":[32],"search":[33],"task":[34],"that":[35,71],"steers":[36],"systems":[37],"toward":[38],"target":[39],"goals.":[40],"This":[41],"exploits":[42],"\"Sparsity":[44],"of":[45,78,83],"Influence\"":[46],"-the":[47],"fact":[48],"that,":[49],"often,":[50],"large":[51],"software":[52],"state":[53],"spaces":[54],"are":[55],"ruled":[56],"by":[57],"just":[58],"few":[60],"variables,":[61],"introduce":[63],"EZR":[64,80],"(Efficient":[65],"Zero-knowledge":[66],"Ranker),":[67],"stochastic":[69],"learner":[70],"finds":[72],"these":[73],"controllers":[74],"directly.":[75],"Across":[76],"dozens":[77],"tasks,":[79],"achieved":[81],"90%":[82],"peak":[84],"results":[85],"with":[86,93],"only":[87],"32":[88],"samples,":[89],"replacing":[90],"heavy":[91],"solvers":[92],"light":[94],"sampling.":[95]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-28T07:46:37.118299","created_date":"2026-03-13T00:00:00"}