Self-Improvement in Multimodal Large Language Models: A Survey
Authors: name: Shijian Deng; name: Kai Wang; name: Tianyu Yang; name: Harsh Singh; name: Yapeng Tian
Published: 2025-10-03 01:48:26

Abstract: Recent advancements in self-improvement for Large Language Models (LLMs) have
efficiently enhanced model capabilities without significantly increasing costs,
particularly in terms of human effort. While this area is still relatively
young, its extension to the multimodal domain holds immense potential for
leveraging diverse data sources and developing more general self-improving
models. This survey is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of
self-improvement in Multimodal LLMs (MLLMs). We provide a structured overview
of the current literature and discuss methods from three perspectives: 1) data
collection, 2) data organization, and 3) model optimization, to facilitate the
further development of self-improvement in MLLMs. We also include commonly used
evaluations and downstream applications. Finally, we conclude by outlining open
challenges and future research directions.