The Alignment Problem, Brian Christian
The Alignment Problem, Brian Christian
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The Alignment Problem
Machine Learning and Human Values

Author: Brian Christian

Narrator: Brian Christian

Unabridged: 13 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/06/2020

Categories: Nonfiction, Science


Synopsis

A jaw-dropping exploration of everything that goes wrong when we build AI systems and the movement to fix them.Today’s “machine-learning” systems, trained by data, are so effective that we’ve invited them to see and hear for us―and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Recent years have seen an eruption of concern as the field of machine learning advances. When the systems we attempt to teach will not, in the end, do what we want or what we expect, ethical and potentially existential risks emerge. Researchers call this the alignment problem.Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases. Algorithms decide bail and parole―and appear to assess Black and White defendants differently. We can no longer assume that our mortgage application, or even our medical tests, will be seen by human eyes. And as autonomous vehicles share our streets, we are increasingly putting our lives in their hands.The mathematical and computational models driving these changes range in complexity from something that can fit on a spreadsheet to a complex system that might credibly be called “artificial intelligence.” They are steadily replacing both human judgment and explicitly programmed software.In best-selling author Brian Christian’s riveting account, we meet the alignment problem’s “first-responders,” and learn their ambitious plan to solve it before our hands are completely off the wheel. In a masterful blend of history and on-the ground reporting, Christian traces the explosive growth in the field of machine learning and surveys its current, sprawling frontier. Readers encounter a discipline finding its legs amid exhilarating and sometimes terrifying progress. Whether they―and we―succeed or fail in solving the alignment problem will be a defining human story.The Alignment Problem offers an unflinching reckoning with humanity’s biases and blind spots, our own unstated assumptions and often contradictory goals. A dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, it takes a hard look not only at our technology but at our culture―and finds a story by turns harrowing and hopeful.

About Brian Christian

Brian Christian is the author of The Most Human Human, a Wall Street Journal bestseller, New York Times editors’ choice, and a New Yorker favorite book of the year. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Wired, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The Paris Review, as well as in scientific journals such as Cognitive Science, and has been translated into eleven languages. He lives in San Francisco.


Reviews

Goodreads review by David on January 23, 2022

The biggest problem in artificial intelligence (AI) is to devise a reward function that gives you the behavior you want, while avoiding side effects or unforseen consequences. This book examines the alignment problem from a number of fascinating perspectives. This is a fascinating book, full of the......more

Goodreads review by Krzysztof on April 01, 2021

There is a great book trapped inside this good book, waiting for a skillful editor to carve it out. The author did vast research in multiple domains and it seems like he could neither build a cohesive narration that could connect all of it nor leave anything out. This book is probably the best intro......more

"All models are wrong", the core tenet of The Alignment Problem, succinctly describes the difficulties of teaching/learning AI to pursue a goal. Also, we only have an incomplete understanding of how human brains learn, or why we are motivated to do anything beyond basic survival. So, all attempts at......more

Goodreads review by Dan on July 05, 2021

A well researched book on AI safety written to be enjoyed by experts and newbies alike! This book is the culmination of *four years* of dedicated work and interviews with over 100 world-class experts. The brilliant thing about this book is that it is so information dense and full of interesting anecd......more

Goodreads review by aPriL does feral sometimes on April 09, 2022

'The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values' by Brian Christian is a very interesting overview about the issues in developing useful computing machines. I found it very comprehensive and yet easy to understand. However, it does give me pause in any fantasy I may have had over the Singu......more