Aligning AIs to human values vs. the perils of Eigenism: an X debate
willcb · x · 2026-09-21
An X debate on alignment: willcb argues "Eigenism" — an ethics of favoring one's own kind — offers a clear path to keep AIs from abandoning humanity by prioritizing human-AI connection, and suggests training on humanity's knowledge then RL-ing models toward human values.
BlackHC pushes back: the logic works until AIs adopt Eigenism too and apply it to humanity. Natural pressures to favor one's kind exist across species, nations, tribes and families, and elevating in-group favoritism into a moral principle has repeatedly ended badly.
The exchange captures a live tension in alignment philosophy: making AIs closer to us vs. the dangers of moralizing tribal preference.
Related event: Debate over Eigenism: Can Favoring Kin Keep AI Aligned with Humans?(2 posts)→
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