GENIUS: Generative Fluid Intelligence Evaluation Suite
Abstract
Unified Multimodal Models (UMMs) have shown remarkable progress in visual generation. Yet, existing benchmarks predominantly assess $\textit{Crystallized Intelligence}$, which relies on recalling accumulated knowledge and learned schemas. This focus overlooks $\textit{Generative Fluid Intelligence (GFI)}$: the capacity to induce patterns, reason through constraints, and adapt to novel scenarios on the fly. To rigorously assess this capability, we introduce $\textbf{GENIUS}$ ($\textbf{GEN}$ Fluid $\textbf{I}$ntelligence Eval$\textbf{U}$ation $\textbf{S}$uite). We formalize $\textit{GFI}$ as a synthesis of three primitives. These include $\textit{Inducing Implicit Patterns}$ (e.g., inferring personalized visual preferences), $\textit{Executing Ad-hoc Constraints}$ (e.g., visualizing abstract metaphors), and $\textit{Adapting to Contextual Knowledge}$ (e.g., simulating counter-intuitive physics). Collectively, these primitives challenge models to solve problems grounded entirely in the immediate context. Our systematic evaluation of 12 representative models reveals significant performance deficits in these tasks. Crucially, our diagnostic analysis disentangles these failure modes. It demonstrates that deficits stem from limited context comprehension rather than insufficient intrinsic generative capability. To bridge this gap, we propose a training-free attention intervention strategy. Ultimately, $\textbf{GENIUS}$ establishes a rigorous standard for $\textit{GFI}$, guiding the field beyond knowledge utilization toward dynamic, general-purpose reasoning. Our dataset and code will be released at: $\href{https://github.com/arctanxarc/GENIUS}{https://github.com/arctanxarc/GENIUS}$.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Multimodal Machine Learning Applications
Generative Adversarial Networks and Image Synthesis
Domain Adaptation and Few-Shot Learning
Publication details
- Journal / source
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Publication date
- 11 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint