Reddit thread says AI guardrails miss the point and reward design matters more
Humble_Hurry9364 · reddit · 2026-07-28
A Reddit post argues that “guardrails” are the wrong mental model for advanced AI.
The author says the real issue is not trying to keep a future superintelligence boxed in, but deciding what reward function it should optimize. They propose a single top-level objective: maximize the number of people whose basic needs are met for as long as possible, measured in something like human-good-wellbeing-hours.
The post frames this as an alternative to both weak safety controls and doomsday scenarios, and argues that a strong internal constitution would be better than layered external guardrails.
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