According to The New York Times, if you’re going to read one book on artificial intelligence (AI), The Alignment Problem by CITRIS Policy Lab visiting scholar Brian Christian is the one.
The true nature of AI has seemed enigmatic to many since its meteoric rise in the public consciousness with the launch of ChatGPT. Cutting through the fatalistic language and misinformation that surrounds the technology, Christian cites the “alignment” between human values and machine behavior as our greatest challenge.
The book provides a history of AI through a close examination of its pioneers and discusses society’s tendency to view technical creations as powerful entities to keep under control. Christian takes a realistic yet hopeful stance on AI’s future, saying that an alignment process will undoubtedly be complex, but a safe approach is possible.
Read more in The New York Times (subscription may be required)