Defining the Core Challenges of the AI Alignment Problem

GlenBradley · x · 2026-08-09

The author provides a highly rigorous and deep academic definition of the 'AI alignment problem.' The article argues that alignment is not just a technical challenge of translating targets, but an ongoing normative, epistemic, and institutional issue. The core difficulty lies in identifying legitimate human alignment targets, determining their applicability amid conflicts of interest, and translating them into implementable rules without silently substituting defective proxies. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need to ensure systems robustly realize these goals and preserving the practical human capacity to detect, correct, or terminate misaligned operations.

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