mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

When Should a World Model Move? Loss-Conditioned State Execution

arXiv 2609.15801 ↗First posted 14 Sep 2026cs.AI cs.LG math.OCcited by 0

On the map: World models → World models for language agents

Abstract (arXiv)

We introduce loss-conditioned state execution, a model-agnostic method that decides whether to execute a world model's fixed feasible proposal or retain the current state. Predictive informativeness alone, however, does not establish whether an update will reduce downstream loss. Occurrence ranking can approach perfection while persistence remains the unique absolute-loss Bayes action. Two transition laws can also share occurrence information and conditional variance yet require opposite absolute-loss decisions. We formalize state movability as the existence of a loss-reducing feasible correction and distinguish it from the benefit of a particular proposal. Our method constructs a loss-specific feasible proposal from a predictive distribution and evaluates its groupwise bounded-loss gain over persistence on independent calibration units. The proposal is executed only in groups with a positive simultaneous lower confidence bound. For fixed proposals and groups with bounded unit losses, we prove that every accepted group has lower expected loss than persistence with high probability when calibration units are i.i.d. draws from the target population. Experiments on public forecasting and action-conditioned dynamics benchmarks show supported updates and a trade-off between certification and coverage. On 28,684 held-out M4 Monthly series, the method executes the proposal for 14.0% of series and achieves bounded loss 0.588, compared with 0.599 for persistence and 0.621 for always executing the proposal. The paired 95% bootstrap intervals for both comparisons lie below zero. In constrained forecasting of six unhealthy-inventory types from JDmbox.com, a leading e-retailer in China, strong occurrence-ranking signal coexists with a loss-based preference for persistence, illustrating why event predictability and state execution must be evaluated separately.

Key facts. No citing papers in the map yet (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in World models for language agents, one of 11 directions in World models. Builds on 5 of its 31 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 14 Sep 2026.

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5 of 31 references.

References · 5

  1. 2026When to Trust Imagination: Adaptive Action Execution for World Action Modelscited by 18
  2. 2026RISE: Adaptive Imagination for World Action Modelscited by 3
  3. 2026Shapelets-Enriched Selective Forecasting using Time Series Foundation Modelscited by 1
  4. 2026Risk-Controlled Post-Processing of Decision Policiescited by 1
  5. 2026Selective Time Series Forecasting via Metalearningcited by 1

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  3. 2026A Control Theory of Predictability in Latent World Models
  4. 2026On the Divergence of Accuracy and Mechanism Consistency in Time Series World Models
  5. 2026Where World Models Break: Natural-Input Failure Discovery
  6. 2026What Must a World Model Distinguish for Planning?
  7. 2026verdi: retrieval is not transfer for continual world model optimization
  8. 2026TRW: TRACE-RealWorld---An Auditable Consistency Contract for World Models as Materialized Views