{"paper":{"title":"A Path-Space Formulation of Prediction in World Models: From a Single Action to Prediction, Planning, and Irreversibility","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"","cross_cats":["cond-mat.stat-mech"],"primary_cat":"cs.LG","authors_text":"Gunn Kim","submitted_at":"2026-06-27T06:00:09Z","abstract_excerpt":"We propose a path-space formulation of prediction in AI world models. Rather than sequences of one-step conditional distributions, we argue that a world model implicitly defines a probability measure over future trajectories. In the local regime where latent dynamics admit an effective Markovian description, this path measure takes the Onsager-Machlup form. Within this framework, prediction (most probable trajectory), planning (constrained optimization), and uncertainty (fluctuations) emerge as operations on a single action functional. We decompose the latent dynamics into reversible and irrev"},"claims":{"count":0,"items":[],"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"source":{"id":"2606.28751","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":null,"model_set":{},"created_at":null,"strongest_claim":"","one_line_summary":"","pipeline_version":null,"weakest_assumption":"","pith_extraction_headline":""},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2606.28751/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[],"snapshot_sha256":"c28c3603d3b5d939e8dc4c7e95fa8dfce3d595e45f758748cecf8e644a296938"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}