Controlling Chat Style in Language Models via Single-Direction Editing

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2603.03324v1
• Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2026 06:05:04 GMT
• Title: Controlling Chat Style in Language Models via Single-Direction Editing
• Abstract summary: This paper tests the hypothesis that distinct stylistic attributes are encoded as linear directions in the model's activation space.<n>We present a lightweight, training-free method for precise style control.<n>Our approach supports linear style composition, enhances safety by ablating undesirable behaviors, and, as confirmed by experiments on over a dozen models, achieves high style adherence while preserving core capabilities at minimal computational cost.
• Score: 43.11304710234668
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Controlling stylistic attributes in large language models (LLMs) remains challenging, with existing approaches relying on either prompt engineering or post-training alignment. This paper investigates this challenge through the lens of representation engineering, testing the hypothesis that distinct stylistic attributes - from emotional tone to linguistic structure - are encoded as linear directions in the model's activation space. We provide strong empirical evidence for this hypothesis across a wide range of styles and, based on this finding, present a lightweight, training-free method for precise style control. Our approach supports linear style composition, enhances safety by ablating undesirable behaviors, and, as confirmed by experiments on over a dozen models, achieves high style adherence while preserving core capabilities at minimal computational cost.

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