A Neurosymbolic Approach to Natural Language Formalization and Verification

ICLR 2026 Conference Submission21060 Authors

Keywords: LLM, Neurosymbolic, Automated Reasoning, Constraint Solvers, SMT solvers

TL;DR: A neurosymbolic framework using autoformalization to validate the logical correctness of text against policies.

Abstract: Large Language Models perform well at natural language interpretation and reasoning, but their inherent stochasticity limits their adoption in regulated industries like finance and healthcare that operate under strict policies. To address this limitation, we present a two-stage neurosymbolic framework that (1) uses LLMs with optional human guidance to formalize natural language policies, allowing fine-grained control of the formalization process, and (2) uses inference-time autoformalization to validate logical correctness of natural language statements against those policies. When correctness is paramount, we perform multiple redundant formalization steps at inference time, cross checking the formalizations for semantic equivalence. Our benchmarks demonstrate that our approach exceeds 99% soundness, indicating a near-zero false positive rate in identifying logical validity. Our approach produces auditable logical artifacts that substantiate the verification outcomes and can be used to improve the original text.

Primary Area: neurosymbolic & hybrid AI systems (physics-informed, logic & formal reasoning, etc.)

Submission Number: 21060