Alignment Problem: How Can Artificial Intelligence Learn Human Values?

'Vital reading. This is the book on artificial intelligence we need right now.' Mike Krieger, cofounder of Instagram

Artificial intelligence is rapidly dominating every aspect of our modern lives influencing the news we consume, whether we get a mortgage, and even which friends wish us happy birthday. But as algorithms make ever more decisions on our behalf, how do we ensure they do what we want? And fairly?

This conundrum - dubbed 'The Alignment Problem' by experts - is the subject of this timely and important book. From the AI program which cheats at computer games to the sexist algorithm behind Google Translate, bestselling author Brian Christian explains how, as AI develops, we rapidly approach a collision between artificial intelligence and ethics. If we stand by, we face a future with unregulated algorithms that propagate our biases - and worse - violate our most sacred values. Urgent and fascinating, this is an accessible primer to the most important issue facing AI researchers today.

Review: Essential reading. Christian brings much needed clarity to a subject that is often talked about but little understood. * Tim O'Reilly, founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media *
Balanced and meticulously researched * New Statesman *
Superb * Hannah Fry, New Yorker *
Vital reading. This is the book on artificial intelligence we need right now. Brian Christian takes us on a technically fluent (yet widely accessible) journey through the most important questions facing AI and humanity. * Mike Krieger, cofounder of Instagram *
An abundantly researched and captivating book that explores the road humanity has taken to create a successor for itself-a road that's rich with surprising discoveries, unexpected obstacles, ingenious solutions and, increasingly, hard questions about the soul of our species. * Jaan Tallinn, cofounder of Skype and the Future of Life Institute *
A fascinating, provocative, and insightful tour of all the ways that AI goes wrong and all the ways people are trying to fix it. Essential reading if you want to understand where our world is heading. * Stuart Russell, author of Human Compatible *
A new field has emerged that responds to and scrutinizes the vast technological shifts represented by our modern, virtual, algorithmically defined world. In The Alignment Problem, Brian Christian masterfully surveys the 'AI fairness' community, introducing us to some of its historical roots in science, philosophy, and activism; and crucially, many of its quandaries and limitations. * Cathy O'Neil, bestselling author of Weapons of Math Destruction *
A riveting and deeply complex look at artificial intelligence and the significant challenge in creating computer models that 'capture our norms and values'... Lay readers will find Christian's revealing study to be a helpful guide to an urgent problem in tech. * Publishers Weekly *
A deeply enjoyable and meticulously researched account of how computer scientists and philosophers are defining the biggest question of our time: how will we create intelligent machines which will improve our lives rather than complicate or even destroy them? There's no better book than The Alignment Problem at spelling out the issues of governing AI safely. * James Barrat, bestselling author of Our Final Invention *
Brian Christian is a fine writer and has produced a fascinating book. AI seems destined to become, for good or ill increasingly prominent in our lives. We should be grateful for this balanced and hype-free perspective on its scope and limits. * Martin Rees, Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, University of Cambridge *