Alignment researcher poses a dilemma: automating capabilities while alignment falls behind
gleech · x · 2026-11-14
Researcher Jake Mendel poses a pointed double question at the heart of AI lab dynamics:
- If you plan to automate capabilities research: are you worried that without equally automating alignment research, alignment progress will fall far behind?
- If you don't plan to automate capabilities research: are you worried competitors will, and you'll fall behind them?
The dilemma compresses the capabilities-alignment imbalance and competitive pressure between labs into two unavoidable questions, sparking discussion in AI safety circles.
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