diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index b66b12cecd0..128266b5e48 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -72,11 +72,7 @@ jobs:
         run: uv pip install --system "datasets[tests] @ ."
       - name: Install dependencies (latest versions)
         if: ${{ matrix.deps_versions == 'deps-latest' }}
-        run: |
-          uv pip install --system --upgrade pyarrow huggingface-hub "dill<0.3.9"
-          # TODO: remove once transformers v5 / huggingface_hub v1 are released officially
-          uv pip uninstall --system transformers huggingface_hub
-          uv pip install --system --prerelease=allow git+https://github.com/huggingface/transformers.git
+        run: uv pip install --system --upgrade pyarrow huggingface-hub "dill<0.3.9"
       - name: Install dependencies (minimum versions)
         if: ${{ matrix.deps_versions != 'deps-latest' }}
         run: uv pip install --system pyarrow==21.0.0 huggingface-hub==0.25.0 transformers dill==0.3.1.1
@@ -86,7 +82,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           python -m pytest -rfExX -m ${{ matrix.test }} -n 2 --dist loadfile -sv ./tests/
 
-  test_py311:
+  test_py312:
     needs: check_code_quality
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -104,10 +100,10 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo apt update
           sudo apt install -y ffmpeg
-      - name: Set up Python 3.11
+      - name: Set up Python 3.12
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.11"
+          python-version: "3.12"
       - name: Setup conda env (windows)
         if: ${{ matrix.os == 'windows-latest' }}
         uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v2
@@ -115,7 +111,7 @@ jobs:
           auto-update-conda: true
           miniconda-version: "latest"
           activate-environment: test
-          python-version: "3.11"
+          python-version: "3.12"
       - name: Setup FFmpeg (windows)
         if: ${{ matrix.os == 'windows-latest' }}
         run: conda install "ffmpeg=7.0.1" -c conda-forge
@@ -131,7 +127,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           python -m pytest -rfExX -m ${{ matrix.test }} -n 2 --dist loadfile -sv ./tests/
 
-  test_py311_numpy2:
+  test_py312_future:
     needs: check_code_quality
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -149,10 +145,10 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo apt update
           sudo apt install -y ffmpeg 
-      - name: Set up Python 3.11
+      - name: Set up Python 3.12
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.11"
+          python-version: "3.12"
       - name: Setup conda env (windows)
         if: ${{ matrix.os == 'windows-latest' }}
         uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v2
@@ -160,7 +156,7 @@ jobs:
           auto-update-conda: true
           miniconda-version: "latest"
           activate-environment: test
-          python-version: "3.11"
+          python-version: "3.12"
       - name: Setup FFmpeg (windows)
         if: ${{ matrix.os == 'windows-latest' }}
         run: conda install "ffmpeg=7.0.1" -c conda-forge
diff --git a/tests/test_file_utils.py b/tests/test_file_utils.py
index 7f91e237578..675e3c4e564 100644
--- a/tests/test_file_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_file_utils.py
@@ -760,12 +760,10 @@ def test_xpath_exists(self, input_path, exists, tmp_path, mock_fsspec2):
     def test_xpath_glob(self, input_path, pattern, expected_paths, tmp_path, mock_fsspec2):
         if input_path == "tmp_path":
             input_path = tmp_path
-            expected_paths = [tmp_path / file for file in expected_paths]
+            expected_paths = [str(tmp_path / file) for file in expected_paths]
             for file in ["file1.txt", "file2.txt", "README.md"]:
                 (tmp_path / file).touch()
-        else:
-            expected_paths = [Path(file) for file in expected_paths]
-        output_paths = sorted(xPath(input_path).glob(pattern))
+        output_paths = sorted([str(path) for path in xPath(input_path).glob(pattern)])
         assert output_paths == expected_paths
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize(
@@ -817,12 +815,10 @@ def test_xpath_rglob(self, input_path, pattern, expected_paths, tmp_path, mock_f
             input_path = tmp_path
             dir_path = tmp_path / "dir"
             dir_path.mkdir()
-            expected_paths = [dir_path / file for file in expected_paths]
+            expected_paths = [str(dir_path / file) for file in expected_paths]
             for file in ["file1.txt", "file2.txt", "README.md"]:
                 (dir_path / file).touch()
-        else:
-            expected_paths = [Path(file) for file in expected_paths]
-        output_paths = sorted(xPath(input_path).rglob(pattern))
+        output_paths = sorted([str(path) for path in xPath(input_path).rglob(pattern)])
         assert output_paths == expected_paths
 
     @pytest.mark.parametrize(