AI Alignment in Practice: What It Means and How to Get It

When we talk about artificial intelligence, what we’re really talking about is using computers to automate human intelligence. When we talk about AI alignment and misalignment in practice, we’re really talking about whether the AI application we’re working with acts in alignment with our needs and expectations.

Alignment issues happen in purely human interactions as well. For example, a customer service rep who is given outdated or insufficient training material is likely to communicate unfactual or wrongly extrapolated information to…