Sequential Causal Discovery with Noisy Language Model Priors

Prakhar Verma, David Arbour, Sunav Choudhary, Harshita Chopra, Arno Solin, Atanu R. Sinha

Abstract: Causal discovery from observational data typically assumes access to complete data and availability of perfect domain experts. In practice, data often arrive in batches, are subject to sampling bias, and expert knowledge is scarce. Language Models (LMs) offer a surrogate for expert knowledge but suffer from hallucinations, inconsistencies, and bias. We present a hybrid framework that bridges these gaps by adaptively integrating sequential batch data with LM-derived noisy, expert knowledge while accounting for both data-induced and LM-induced biases. We propose a representation shift from Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) to Partial Ancestral Graph (PAG), that accommodates ambiguities within a coherent framework, allowing grounding the global LM knowledge in local observational data. To guide LM interactions, we use a sequential optimization scheme that adaptively queries the most informative edges. Across varied datasets and LMs, we outperform prior work in structural accuracy and extend to parameter estimation, showing robustness to LM noise.

Submission Type: Regular submission (no more than 12 pages of main content)

Assigned Action Editor: ~Georgios_Leontidis1

Submission Number: 7399