alignment

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English

In alignment and out of alignment

Alternative forms

Etymology

From French alignement, by surface analysis, align +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation

Noun

alignment (countable and uncountable, plural alignments)

  1. An arrangement of items in a line.
  2. The process of adjusting a mechanism such that its parts are aligned; the condition of having its parts so adjusted.
  3. An alliance of factions.
  4. (artificial intelligence) The goals and values of an artificial intelligence, considered relative to human ethical standards.
    the alignment problem
    the alignment tax
    • 2022 December 13, Melanie Mitchell, “What Does It Mean to Align AI With Human Values?”, in Quanta Magazine‎, New York, N.Y.: Simons Foundation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-15:
      It turns out that there’s little overlap between the communities concerned primarily with such short-term risks and those who worry more about longer-term alignment risks.
    • 2023 February 16, Karen Weise, “Microsoft Considers More Limits for Its New A.I. Chatbot”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-22:
      The issue of chatbot responses that veer into strange territory is widely known among researchers. In an interview last week, Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, said improving what's known as "alignment" — how the responses safely reflect a user's will — was "one of these must-solve problems."
    • 2023 February 17, Billy Perrigo, “The New AI-Powered Bing Is Threatening Users. That's No Laughing Matter”, in Time‎, New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 February 2023:
      But many in the field are concerned that Big Tech companies are sidelining alignment research efforts in the race to keep building and releasing the technology into the world.
  6. (roleplaying games) One of a set number of moral positions or philosophies a character can take.
    an alignment chart
  7. (astronomy) The conjunction of two celestial objects.
  8. (transport) The precise route or course taken by a linear way (road, railway, footpath, etc.) between two points.
  9. (bioinformatics) A way of arranging DNA, RNA or protein sequences in order to identify regions of similarity.
  10. ground plan of a canal or road

Derived terms

Translations

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