Learn to change the world: Multi-level reinforcement learning with model-changing actions

ICLR 2026 Conference Submission20590 Authors

Keywords: Reinforcement learning; Markov decision process; Robust learning; Optimization

TL;DR: Construct a multi-layer MDP system to configurate the RL agent's environment

Abstract: Reinforcement learning usually assumes a given or sometimes even fixed environment in which an agent seeks an optimal policy to maximize its long-term discounted reward. In contrast, we consider agents that are not limited to passive adaptations: they instead have model-changing actions that actively modify the RL model of world dynamics itself. Reconfiguring the underlying transition processes can potentially increase the agents' rewards. Motivated by this setting, we introduce the multi-layer configurable time-varying Markov decision process (MCTVMDP). In an MCTVMDP, the lower-level MDP has a non-stationary transition function that is configurable through upper-level model-changing actions. The agent's objective consists of two parts: Optimize the configuration policies in the upper-level MDP and optimize the primitive action policies in the lower-level MDP to jointly improve its expected long-term reward.

Primary Area: reinforcement learning

Submission Number: 20590