# SCE-LITE-HQ: Smooth visual counterfactual explanations with generative foundation models

Source: [SCE-LITE-HQ: Smooth visual counterfactual explanations with generative foundation models](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/69bb82ea0636e5bf4afc1888>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2026-03-20T05:00:04.947Z

Authors: Ahmed Zeid, Sidney Bender

Published: 2026-03-17T18:31:13.000Z

## Abstract

Modern neural networks achieve strong performance but remain difficult to interpret in high-dimensional visual domains. Counterfactual explanations (CFEs) provide a principled approach to interpreting black-box predictions by identifying minimal input changes that alter model outputs. However, existing CFE methods often rely on dataset-specific generative models and incur substantial computational cost, limiting their scalability to high-resolution data. We propose SCE-LITE-HQ, a scalable framework for counterfactual generation that leverages pretrained generative foundation models without task-specific retraining. The method operates in the latent space of the generator, incorporates smoothed gradients to improve optimization stability, and applies mask-based diversification to promote realistic and structurally diverse counterfactuals. We evaluate SCE-LITE-HQ on natural and medical datasets using a desiderata-driven evaluation protocol. Results show that SCE-LITE-HQ produces valid, realistic, and diverse counterfactuals competitive with or outperforming existing baselines, while avoiding the overhead of training dedicated generative models.

## Recorded benchmark results

A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage.

- [Counterfactual Explanation on Celeb-A Smile](<https://www.sota2.com/research/sota/counterfactual-explanation-on-celeb-a-smile.md>): Counterfactual Explanation; Celeb-A Smile; Performance Score: 100.

- [Counterfactual Explanation on CelebA Blond (Male)](<https://www.sota2.com/research/sota/counterfactual-explanation-on-celeba-blond-male.md>): Counterfactual Explanation; CelebA Blond (Male); NA Score: 100.

- [Counterfactual Explanation on Celeb-A Blond](<https://www.sota2.com/research/sota/counterfactual-explanation-on-celeb-a-blond.md>): Counterfactual Explanation; Celeb-A Blond; NA Score: 86.7.

- [Counterfactual Explanation on Camelyon Hosp. 17](<https://www.sota2.com/research/sota/counterfactual-explanation-on-camelyon-hosp-17.md>): Counterfactual Explanation; Camelyon Hosp. 17; NA: 75.8.

## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.17048>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.17048.pdf>)