Position: Beyond Model-Centric Prediction -- Agentic Time Series Forecasting

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Cheng, Mingyue, Tao, Xiaoyu, Liu, Qi, Guo, Ze, Chen, Enhong
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Cheng, Mingyue
Tao, Xiaoyu
Liu, Qi
Guo, Ze
Chen, Enhong
author_facet Cheng, Mingyue
Tao, Xiaoyu
Liu, Qi
Guo, Ze
Chen, Enhong
contents Time series forecasting has traditionally been formulated as a model-centric, static, and single-pass prediction problem that maps historical observations to future values. While this paradigm has driven substantial progress, it proves insufficient in adaptive and multi-turn settings where forecasting requires informative feature extraction, reasoning-driven inference, iterative refinement, and continual adaptation over time. In this paper, we argue for agentic time series forecasting (ATSF), which reframes forecasting as an agentic process composed of perception, planning, action, reflection, and memory. Rather than focusing solely on predictive models, ATSF emphasizes organizing forecasting as an agentic workflow that can interact with tools, incorporate feedback from outcomes, and evolve through experience accumulation. We outline three representative implementation paradigms -- workflow-based design, agentic reinforcement learning, and a hybrid agentic workflow paradigm -- and discuss the opportunities and challenges that arise when shifting from model-centric prediction to agentic forecasting. Together, this position aims to establish agentic forecasting as a foundation for future research at the intersection of time series forecasting.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_01776
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Position: Beyond Model-Centric Prediction -- Agentic Time Series Forecasting
Cheng, Mingyue
Tao, Xiaoyu
Liu, Qi
Guo, Ze
Chen, Enhong
Machine Learning
Time series forecasting has traditionally been formulated as a model-centric, static, and single-pass prediction problem that maps historical observations to future values. While this paradigm has driven substantial progress, it proves insufficient in adaptive and multi-turn settings where forecasting requires informative feature extraction, reasoning-driven inference, iterative refinement, and continual adaptation over time. In this paper, we argue for agentic time series forecasting (ATSF), which reframes forecasting as an agentic process composed of perception, planning, action, reflection, and memory. Rather than focusing solely on predictive models, ATSF emphasizes organizing forecasting as an agentic workflow that can interact with tools, incorporate feedback from outcomes, and evolve through experience accumulation. We outline three representative implementation paradigms -- workflow-based design, agentic reinforcement learning, and a hybrid agentic workflow paradigm -- and discuss the opportunities and challenges that arise when shifting from model-centric prediction to agentic forecasting. Together, this position aims to establish agentic forecasting as a foundation for future research at the intersection of time series forecasting.
title Position: Beyond Model-Centric Prediction -- Agentic Time Series Forecasting
topic Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.01776