{"slug": "world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-actions-new-research", "title": "World models that ignore human beliefs predict the wrong actions, new research shows", "summary": "New research from MIT and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab shows that world models like Sora or Genie, which only simulate physics, fail to predict human actions because they ignore beliefs, intentions, and other mental states. The proposed 'Mental World Modeling' framework, which incorporates mental variables, enables even weaker language models to outperform stronger models without mental modeling, with the key challenge being the joint prediction of physical and mental state changes.", "body_md": "# World models that ignore human beliefs predict the wrong actions, new research shows\n\nBy Jonathan KemperSource:\n\n[The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com) Current world models like [Sora](/compare/sora-vs-runway) or Genie only simulate physics and ignore what people think, want, or feel. The new \"Mental World Modeling\" framework adds mental variables like beliefs and intentions. Even weaker language models using this approach outperform stronger models without mental modeling. The biggest bottleneck: predicting how physical and mental states change together.\n\nThe article [World models that ignore human beliefs predict the wrong actions, new research shows](https://the-decoder.com/world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-actions-new-research-shows/) appeared first on [The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com).\n\nGet AI news in your inbox\n\nDaily digest of what matters in AI.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-actions-new-research", "canonical_source": "https://www.machinebrief.com/news/world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-act-3uuk", "published_at": "2026-08-22 09:00:20+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-22 10:13:36.852465+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-research"], "entities": ["MIT", "MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab", "Sora", "Genie"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-actions-new-research", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-actions-new-research.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-actions-new-research.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/world-models-that-ignore-human-beliefs-predict-the-wrong-actions-new-research.jsonld"}}