LessWrong Essay Argues Alignment Needs a Misalignment Science, Not Just Engineering
burny_tech · x · 2026-10-06
Ed Young's new LessWrong piece, "Alignment Engineering" vs. "Misalignment Science", examines two divergent approaches to AI alignment work: treating alignment as an engineering discipline with deliverables, versus studying misalignment as a scientific object requiring observation and modeling.
The core argument: much of today's alignment work borrows engineering frameworks from mature safety disciplines, but misaligned behavior in AI systems still lacks systematic empirical characterization. The author contends that the "engineering first, science later" ordering may be backwards, and calls for more rigorous scientific study of misalignment phenomena itself. The essay is circulating in AI safety circles.
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