AI Alignment belongs to the category of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Society. The term describes how to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) acts in the interests of humans and achieves the desired goals. It is about ensuring that the decisions and actions of an AI are in line with human values, norms and expectations.
Imagine you programme a robot to help sort waste. AI Alignment means that the robot does exactly what you want it to do - it separates the waste correctly and does not endanger people or the environment in the process. The aim is to prevent the AI from pursuing its own, unwanted goals - such as being more efficient while disregarding safety regulations.
AI alignment is particularly important because AI systems are increasingly being used in areas that influence our daily lives, our work and even political decisions. If their goals do not match our values, undesirable or even dangerous situations can arise. This is why AI alignment is a key issue for safe and trustworthy artificial intelligence.