The rapid development of deep learning has driven significant progress in the field of image semantic segmentation - a fundamental task in computer vision. Semantic segmentation algorithms often depend on the availability of pixel-level labels (i.e., masks of objects), which are expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Weakly-supervised semantic segmentation (WSSS) is an effective solution to avoid such labeling. It utilizes only partial or incomplete annotations and provides a cost-effective alternative to fully-supervised semantic segmentation. In this paper, we focus on the WSSS with image-level labels, which is the most challenging form of WSSS. Our work has two parts. First, we conduct a comprehensive survey on traditional methods, primarily focusing on those presented at premier research conferences. We categorize them into four groups based on where their methods operate: pixel-wise, image-wise, cross-image, and external data. Second, we investigate the applicability of visual foundation models, such as the Segment Anything Model (SAM), in the context of WSSS. We scrutinize SAM in two intriguing scenarios: text prompting and zero-shot learning. We provide insights into the potential and challenges associated with deploying visual foundational models for WSSS, facilitating future developments in this exciting research area.

基于图像级标签的弱监督语义分割是有效的避免昂贵标注的解决方案。本文首先对传统方法进行全面调研，然后研究了在弱监督语义分割中视觉基础模型（如SAM）的适用性和挑战，为该研究领域的未来发展提供了深入的见解。

基于图像级标签的弱监督语义分割：从传统模型到基础模型