English

LangLasso: Interactive Cluster Descriptions through LLM Explanation

Human-Computer Interaction 2026-01-16 v1 Machine Learning Computation

Abstract

Dimensionality reduction is a powerful technique for revealing structure and potential clusters in data. However, as the axes are complex, non-linear combinations of features, they often lack semantic interpretability. Existing visual analytics (VA) methods support cluster interpretation through feature comparison and interactive exploration, but they require technical expertise and intense human effort. We present \textit{LangLasso}, a novel method that complements VA approaches through interactive, natural language descriptions of clusters using large language models (LLMs). It produces human-readable descriptions that make cluster interpretation accessible to non-experts and allow integration of external contextual knowledge beyond the dataset. We systematically evaluate the reliability of these explanations and demonstrate that \langlasso provides an effective first step for engaging broader audiences in cluster interpretation. The tool is available at https://langlasso.vercel.app

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.10458,
  title  = {LangLasso: Interactive Cluster Descriptions through LLM Explanation},
  author = {Raphael Buchmüller and Dennis Collaris and Linhao Meng and Angelos Chatzimparmpas},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.10458},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

This manuscript is accepted for publication in VIS 2025 VISxGenAI Workshop

R2 v1 2026-07-01T09:05:59.330Z