aiqbench analysis
This research reframes Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) as retrieval-augmented systems, replacing traditional message-passing with an MLP-based framework that retrieves relevant graph context. Theoretically connecting this approach to softmax-attention mechanisms, the proposed RTA method demonstrates superior efficiency and robustness against structural noise while matching or exceeding standard GNN baselines on text-attributed benchmarks.
Rethinking Message Passing as Retrieval for Text-Attributed Graph Learning
arXiv:2608.26732v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Graph neural networks (GNNs) are typically conceptualized as message-passing neural networks, yet it remains unclear why neighborhood aggregation reliably outperforms node-wise multilayer perceptrons (MLPs). Despite its empirical success, this paradigm can be computationally expensive and sensitive to imperfect graph structures. In this work, we present a retrieval-augmented view of GNNs: each layer makes predictions by applying an MLP to a node representation together with a permutation-invariant summary of retrieved graph context. Motivated by this perspective, we propose RTA, a simple MLP-based framework that replaces structural message passing with label-aware retrieval and propagation. We provide theoretical insights that (i) connect retrieval-based aggregation to softmax-attention message passing, and (ii) establish the robustness of retrieved-context supervision to mis-retrieved outliers. Experiments on multiple text-attributed graph benchmarks show that RTA matches or even outperforms strong GNN and graph LLM baselines while improving efficiency and robustness across diverse scenarios.
Abstract:Graph neural networks (GNNs) are typically conceptualized as message-passing neural networks, yet it remains unclear why neighborhood aggregation reliably outperforms node-wise multilayer perceptrons (MLPs). Despite its empirical success, this paradigm can be computationally expensive and sensitive to imperfect graph structures. In this work, we present a retrieval-augmented view of GNNs: each layer makes predictions by applying an MLP to a node representation together with a permutation-invariant summary of retrieved graph context. Motivated by this perspective, we propose RTA, a simple MLP-based framework that replaces structural message passing with label-aware retrieval and propagation. We provide theoretical insights that (i) connect retrieval-based aggregation to softmax-attention message passing, and (ii) establish the robustness of retrieved-context supervision to mis-retrieved outliers. Experiments on multiple text-attributed graph benchmarks show that RTA matches or even outperforms strong GNN and graph LLM baselines while improving efficiency and robustness across diverse scenarios.
Machine Learning (cs.LG); Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
arXiv:2608.26732 [cs.LG]
(or arXiv:2608.26732v1 [cs.LG] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.26732 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
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