Artificial IntelligencearXiv — cs.CLWed, May 20, 2026, 4:00 AMPositive

CopT: Contrastive On-Policy Thinking with Continuous Spaces for General and Agentic Reasoning

The introduction of CopT, or Contrastive On-Policy Thinking, presents a novel approach to reasoning in large language models (LLMs) by reversing the traditional order of thinking and answering. This method allows models to generate a draft answer first, followed by on-policy thinking for reflection and correction, enhancing efficiency and reducing token costs.

WPN Brief

  • What Happened

    The introduction of CopT, or Contrastive On-Policy Thinking, presents a novel approach to reasoning in large language models (LLMs) by reversing the traditional order of thinking and answering. This method allows models to generate a draft answer first, followed by on-policy thinking for reflection and correction, enhancing efficiency and reducing token costs.

  • Why It Matters

    This development is significant as it addresses the limitations of the conventional chain-of-thought paradigm, which often delays access to plausible answers. By streamlining the reasoning process, CopT could improve the responsiveness and accuracy of LLMs in various applications.

  • The Bigger Picture

    The emergence of CopT aligns with ongoing efforts to enhance LLM capabilities, including the establishment of evaluation platforms like OpenCompass and frameworks such as TEMPO, which focus on improving model reliability and performance. These advancements reflect a broader trend in AI research aimed at refining reasoning processes and addressing challenges in model evaluation and trustworthiness.

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