Value-Aligned Prompt Moderation via Zero-Shot Agentic Rewriting for Safe Image Generation

TL;DR

This paper presents VALOR, a zero-shot, modular framework that improves the safety and value alignment of generative image models by analyzing prompts, detecting risks, and rewriting unsafe prompts while maintaining user intent.

Contribution

Introduces VALOR, a novel zero-shot, multi-layered prompt analysis and rewriting system that enhances safety and alignment in text-to-image generation without sacrificing quality.

Findings

Significantly reduces unsafe outputs by up to 100%

Maintains prompt usefulness and creativity

Effective across adversarial and ambiguous prompts

Abstract

Generative vision-language models like Stable Diffusion demonstrate remarkable capabilities in creative media synthesis, but they also pose substantial risks of producing unsafe, offensive, or culturally inappropriate content when prompted adversarially. Current defenses struggle to align outputs with human values without sacrificing generation quality or incurring high costs. To address these challenges, we introduce VALOR (Value-Aligned LLM-Overseen Rewriter), a modular, zero-shot agentic framework for safer and more helpful text-to-image generation. VALOR integrates layered prompt analysis with human-aligned value reasoning: a multi-level NSFW detector filters lexical and semantic risks; a cultural value alignment module identifies violations of social norms, legality, and representational ethics; and an intention disambiguator detects subtle or indirect unsafe implications. When unsafe content is detected, prompts are selectively rewritten by a large language model under dynamic, role-specific instructions designed to preserve user intent while enforcing alignment. If the generated image still fails a safety check, VALOR optionally performs a stylistic regeneration to steer the output toward a safer visual domain without altering core semantics. Experiments across adversarial, ambiguous, and value-sensitive prompts show that VALOR significantly reduces unsafe outputs by up to 100.00% while preserving prompt usefulness and creativity. These results highlight VALOR as a scalable and effective approach for deploying safe, aligned, and helpful image generation systems in open-world settings.