Paper Detail

MLLM-Routed Heterogeneous Ensembles for Robust Cross-Dataset Image Classification

Daniel Perkins, John Squires, Janou Milligan, Chandra Raskoti, Linda Ungerboeck

arxiv Score 23.8

Published 2026-08-13 · First seen 2026-08-14

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Abstract

Modern image classification models excel when trained on single task-specific datasets but often struggle to generalize across domains and difficulty levels. We propose ARMDIL, an Adaptive Router for Multi-Domain Image classification with LLMs. ARMDIL is an ensemble that uses a multimodal large language model (MLLM) agent to dynamically route each image to the most suitable vision backbone. Our diverse ensemble employs convolutional neural networks (ResNets), self-supervised representation learners (SSL), and vision-language models (VLMs), each trained on a unified label space constructed from multiple image datasets with differing distributions and characteristics. Empirical evaluations illuminate the distinct capabilities and vulnerabilities of each architecture across disparate visual domains. Crucially, we show that ARMDIL effectively navigates these trade-offs, performing competitively with specialized training-based routers. Furthermore, it drastically improves adaptability by allowing new information to be integrated via simple prompt modifications, while enhancing interpretability through natural language reasoning traces. These advances in cross-dataset image classification pave the way for more reliable general-purpose vision systems such as AI assistants and autonomous robots.

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BibTeX

@article{perkins2026mllm,
  title = {MLLM-Routed Heterogeneous Ensembles for Robust Cross-Dataset Image Classification},
  author = {Daniel Perkins and John Squires and Janou Milligan and Chandra Raskoti and Linda Ungerboeck},
  year = {2026},
  abstract = {Modern image classification models excel when trained on single task-specific datasets but often struggle to generalize across domains and difficulty levels. We propose ARMDIL, an Adaptive Router for Multi-Domain Image classification with LLMs. ARMDIL is an ensemble that uses a multimodal large language model (MLLM) agent to dynamically route each image to the most suitable vision backbone. Our diverse ensemble employs convolutional neural networks (ResNets), self-supervised representation learn},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13463},
  keywords = {cs.CV, cs.AI, cs.CL, cs.LG},
  eprint = {2608.13463},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
}

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