The Alignment Problem

What happens when we teach computers to do something, but they don't do what we expect? Christian explores this theme in The Alignment Problem. He investigates a number of issues in the field, devoting a chapter to each (fairness, transparency, uncertainty, and so on). This book is very historically grounded, taking a look at how computer scientists, philosophers, and others have wrestled with these issues for a ver long time, and then taking a look at the current state of the field. The result is a thoughtful exploration of the computers and human values. The interviews in the book give me confidence that at least a small percentage of people working on these issues are thinking about ethics, but it also illustrates the scope of the problem, which is enormous.

Good review of the field if you're not yet informed much about AI safety. More weighted towards short-term AI safety/governance, less towards far future / strong AGI. Lots of referenced papers that I plan to read up on.