The Dangers Of Not Aligning Artificial Intelligence With Human Values

In artificial intelligence (AI), the "alignment problem" refers to the challenges caused by the fact that machines simply do not have the same values as us. In fact, when it comes to values, then at a fundamental level, machines don't really get much more sophisticated than understanding that 1 is different from 0. As a society, we are now at a point where we are starting to allow machines to make decisions for us. So how can we expect them to understand that, for example, they should do this in a way that doesn't involve prejudice towards people of a certain race, gender, or sexuality? Or that the pursuit of speed, or efficiency, or profit, has to be done in a way that respects the ultimate sanctity of human life? Theoretically, if you tell a self-driving car to navigate from point A to point B, it could just smash its way to its destination, regardless of the cars, pedestrians, or buildings it destroys on its way.