LAFI 2025

Scope of the workshop

The Languages for Inference (LAFI) workshop aims to bring programming-language and machine-learning researchers together to advance all aspects of languages for inference.

Topics include but are not limited to:

• Design of programming languages for statistical inference and/or differentiable programming
• Inference algorithms for probabilistic programming languages, including ones that incorporate automatic differentiation
• Automatic differentiation algorithms for differentiable programming languages
• Probabilistic generative modelling and inference
• Variational and differential modeling and inference
• Semantics (axiomatic, operational, denotational, games, etc) and types for inference and/or differentiable programming
• Efficient and correct implementation
• Applications of inference and/or differentiable programming

Invited speakers

We are pleased to have the following two invited talks this year:

• Desi R. Ivanova (University of Oxford) – Modern Bayesian experimental design
• Jonathan Citrin (Google Deepmind) – TORAX: A Fast and Differentiable Tokamak Transport Simulator in JAX

Schedule

The workshop will take place during the full day of Sunday 19 January 2025. It will consist of a series of submitted talks (of roughly 15min each) and invited talks, as well as an interactive poster session. We will conclude the day with a dinner/drinks event. A detailed schedule will appear here shortly.

Sponsorship

LAFI is grateful to be sponsored this year by basis.ai https://www.basis.ai/

Accepted Papers

Call for Papers

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             Call for Extended Abstracts

                      LAFI 2025
     Workshop on Languages for Inference at POPL 2025

                    January 19, 2025
      https://popl25.sigplan.org/home/lafi-2025

       Submission Deadline: October 30, 2024 

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Submission Summary

• Deadline: October 30, 2024 (AoE)
• Submission page: https://lafi25.hotcrp.com/
• Format: extended abstract (2 pages + references + optional appendices)
• Call for Extended Abstracts

Workshop Goals

LAFI aims to bring programming-language and machine-learning researchers together to advance all aspects of languages for inference. Topics include but are not limited to:

• The design of programming languages for inference and/or differentiable programming;
• Inference algorithms for probabilistic programming languages, including ones that incorporate automatic differentiation;
• Automatic differentiation algorithms for differentiable programming languages;
• Probabilistic generative modeling and inference;
• Semantics (axiomatic, operational, denotational, games, etc) and types for inference and/or differentiable programming;
• Formal verification and correctness for differentiable and probabilistic programs;
• Applications of inference and/or differentiable programming.

The workshop is informal, and our goal is to foster collaboration and establish a shared foundation for research on languages for inference. The proceedings will not be a formal or archival publication, and we expect to spend only a portion of the workshop day on traditional research talks.

Submission guidelines

• Submission deadline on October 30, 2024 (AoE)
• Submission link: https://lafi25.hotcrp.com/
• Any format is permitted, uploads must be in PDF.
• Page limit: 2 pages of main content, unlimited number of references and appendices. Reviewers are not required or expected to read appendices.
• Anonymity: submissions should be anonymized for peer review.
• In line with the SIGPLAN Republication Policy, inclusion of extended abstracts in the program should not preclude later formal publication.

Remote participation policy

Coordination with the POPL conference is underway to enable remote participation. We strive to create an inclusive environment that does not demand traveling for presenters or participants.