Future-as-Label: Scalable Supervision from Real-World Outcomes
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Abstract (arXiv)
Time creates free supervision: forecasts about real-world events resolve to verifiable outcomes. The passage of time provides labels that require no annotation. To exploit this structure, we extend reinforcement learning with verifiable rewards to real-world prediction over time. We train language models to make probabilistic forecasts from causally masked information, using proper scoring rules as the reward function once events resolve. Learning is driven entirely by realized outcomes, enabling scalable outcome-based supervision in open-world prediction. On real-world forecasting benchmarks, Qwen3-32B trained using Foresight Learning improves Brier score by 27% and halves calibration error relative to its pretrained baseline, and outperforms Qwen3-235B on both constructed future-event prediction tasks and the Metaculus benchmark despite a 7x parameter disadvantage.
Key facts. Cited by 11 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Builds on 5 of its 6 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 9 Jan 2026.
Builds on
5 of 6 references.
References · 5
- 2025Understanding R1-Zero-Like Training: A Critical Perspectivecited by 1,345
- 2025Reinforcement Learning with Verifiable Rewards Implicitly Incentivizes Correct Reasoning in Base LLMscited by 289
- 2025Crossing the Reward Bridge: Expanding RL with Verifiable Rewards Across Diverse Domainscited by 156
- 2025CompassVerifier: A Unified and Robust Verifier for LLMs Evaluation and Outcome Rewardcited by 40
- 2025Outcome-based Reinforcement Learning to Predict the Futurecited by 22
Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2026: 11.
11 papers.
- 2026Agentic Forecasting using Sequential Bayesian Updating of Linguistic Beliefscited by 10
- 2026Aligning LLMs with Human Uncertainty: A Beta-Bernoulli Calibrator for LLM Forecastingcited by 3
- 2026Foresight Learning for SEC Risk Predictioncited by 1
- 2026Forecasting Supply Chain Disruptions with Foresight Learningcited by 1
- 2026Harnessing Pre-Resolution Signals for Future Prediction Agentscited by 1
- 2026Training Large Language Models to Predict Clinical Eventscited by 0
- 2026Distilling Temporal Search and Reasoning: Evolving LLMs for Future Prediction via Harness-Assisted Efficient Data Synthesiscited by 0
- 2026How Proper Scoring Rules Shape LLM Forecastingcited by 0
- 2026CruxBench: A Benchmark of Information Discoverycited by 0
- 2026CHAIN: Calibrated LLM Forecasting via Causal-Temporal Hypergraph Inferencecited by 0
- 2026Can Language Models Learn to Forecast Stock Pricescited by 0
- 2026Can Language Models Learn to Forecast Stock Prices29 Sep 2026
- 2026CHAIN: Calibrated LLM Forecasting via Causal-Temporal Hypergraph Inference29 Sep 2026
- 2026CruxBench: A Benchmark of Information Discovery26 Sep 2026
- 2026How Proper Scoring Rules Shape LLM Forecasting28 Aug 2026
- 2026Distilling Temporal Search and Reasoning: Evolving LLMs for Future Prediction via Harness-Assisted Efficient Data Synthesis28 Jul 2026
- 2026Aligning LLMs with Human Uncertainty: A Beta-Bernoulli Calibrator for LLM Forecasting26 May 2026
- 2026Training Large Language Models to Predict Clinical Events12 May 2026
- 2026Agentic Forecasting using Sequential Bayesian Updating of Linguistic Beliefs20 Apr 2026
- 2026Harnessing Pre-Resolution Signals for Future Prediction Agents17 Apr 2026
- 2026Forecasting Supply Chain Disruptions with Foresight Learning1 Apr 2026
- 2026Foresight Learning for SEC Risk Prediction27 Jan 2026
Similar, not cited
Close in wording, no citation either way
- 2026FutureWorld: A Live Reinforcement Learning Environment for Predictive Agents with Real-World Outcome Rewards
- 2026World Potential Model: Pretrained World Knowledge as Progress Potentials
- 2024An Empirical Study on the Power of Future Prediction in Partially Observable Environments
- 2025Scaling Open-Ended Reasoning to Predict the Future
- 2025RLVR-World: Training World Models with Reinforcement Learning
- 2026Verifiable Rewards for Calibrated Probabilistic Forecasting
- 2026Beyond Next-Observation Prediction: Agent-Authored World Modeling for Sequential Decision Making
- 2025Time-R1: Towards Comprehensive Temporal Reasoning in LLMs