RENEW: Towards Learning World Models and Repairing Model Exploitation from Preferences
On the map: World models → Latent dynamics models and model-based RL
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Abstract (arXiv)
World models are widely used in offline reinforcement learning (RL) to improve sample efficiency and generate experience beyond a fixed dataset. However, they are vulnerable to model exploitation where data coverage is thin. Prior work addresses this either by collecting more expert demonstrations, which is often expensive, unsafe, or unavailable, or by conservative algorithms that avoid uncertain regions, which limits generalization. We propose instead to repair exploitation directly using human preferences over imagined rollouts, leveraging the strong intuitive physics that allows humans to easily spot egregious dynamics hallucinations. We formalize this as Dynamics Learning from Human Feedback (DLHF), a Bradley-Terry preference loss over trajectory log-likelihoods under a learned dynamics model. Unfortunately, naive DLHF is sample inefficient, so we introduce RENEW, which uses epistemic uncertainty to focus finetuning where the model is most exploitable. We evaluate on several Jumanji and classic control environments and find that while naive DLHF requires an outsize preference budget, RENEW makes the framework practical by improving sample efficiency, limiting catastrophic forgetting, and reducing exploitation in pretrained world models. Taken together, our results provide initial evidence that preferences can supervise world model dynamics directly, offering a new approach to addressing exploitation in offline model-based RL.
Key facts. No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Latent dynamics models and model-based RL, one of 11 directions in World models. Builds on 33 of its 43 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 15 Jul 2026.
Builds on
33 of 43 references.
Closest ancestors · 5
Same direction, newest first
- 2026Imperfect World Models are Exploitable15 May
- 2025RLVR-World: Training World Models with Reinforcement Learning20 May
- 2019When to Trust Your Model: Model-Based Policy Optimization19 Jun
- 2018Recurrent World Models Facilitate Policy Evolution4 Sep
- 2018Deep Reinforcement Learning in a Handful of Trials using Probabilistic Dynamics Models30 May
Other references · 28
- 2022Training language models to follow instructions with human feedbackcited by 15,971
- 2016Simple and Scalable Predictive Uncertainty Estimation using Deep Ensemblescited by 3,926
- 2017Deep reinforcement learning from human preferencescited by 3,912
- 2022A ConvNet for the 2020scited by 3,579
- 2019The Curious Case of Neural Text Degenerationcited by 2,916
- 2016Categorical Reparameterization with Gumbel-Softmaxcited by 2,739
- 2020Offline Reinforcement Learning: Tutorial, Review, and Perspectives on Open Problemscited by 1,920
- 2018Learning Latent Dynamics for Planning from Pixelscited by 1,264
- 2018Off-Policy Deep Reinforcement Learning without Explorationcited by 1,241
- 2018Hierarchical Neural Story Generationcited by 1,193
- 2016The Concrete Distribution: A Continuous Relaxation of Discrete Random Variablescited by 1,148
- 2019Stabilizing Off-Policy Q-Learning via Bootstrapping Error Reductioncited by 840
16 more
- 2020MOPO: Model-based Offline Policy Optimizationcited by 636
- 2020MOReL : Model-Based Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 590
- 2016Deep Exploration via Bootstrapped DQNcited by 527
- 2021COMBO: Conservative Offline Model-Based Policy Optimizationcited by 370
- 2024How Far is Video Generation from World Model: A Physical Law Perspectivecited by 212
- 2025Do generative video models understand physical principles?cited by 161
- 2025WorldModelBench: Judging Video Generation Models As World Modelscited by 124
- 2018IntPhys: A Framework and Benchmark for Visual Intuitive Physics Reasoningcited by 73
- 2020Offline Learning from Demonstrations and Unlabeled Experiencecited by 72
- 2022How to Leverage Unlabeled Data in Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 62
- 2023Jumanji: a Diverse Suite of Scalable Reinforcement Learning Environments in JAXcited by 58
- 2023Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback for Realistic Traffic Simulationcited by 21
- 2019Learning an Urban Air Mobility Encounter Model from Expert Preferencescited by 12
- 2025A Clean Slate for Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 11
- 2024Anatomy of a Robotaxi Crash: Lessons from the Cruise Pedestrian Dragging Mishapcited by 5
- 2024Preference Elicitation for Offline Reinforcement Learningcited by 3
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- 2021Behavioral Priors and Dynamics Models: Improving Performance and Domain Transfer in Offline RL
- 2021Augmented World Models Facilitate Zero-Shot Dynamics Generalization From a Single Offline Environment
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