# AI GAPS > AI Governance, Alignment, Policy, and Safety ## Pages - [AI Alignment](https://www.aigaps.org/ai-pillars/ai-alignment/): AI Alignment Processes & Challenges Alignment is often cited as one of the most difficult processes when building and deploying... - [The Four Pillars of AI](https://www.aigaps.org/ai-pillars/): The Four Pillars of AI Artificial intelligence continues to influence our daily lives at an ever-increasing rate on a number... - [How We Use AI](https://www.aigaps.org/how-we-use-ai/) - [Blog](https://www.aigaps.org/blog/) - [Influential AI Organizations](https://www.aigaps.org/ai-organizations/): Key AI governance, alignment, policy, and safety organizations Thankfully there are organizations throughout the world dedicated to various aspects of... - [About](https://www.aigaps.org/about/) - [Home](https://www.aigaps.org/): To ensure Artificial Intelligence benefits all of humanity, we need to spend as much time and effort advancing the disciplines... ## Posts - [Brian Greene's Insights On Whether AI Is (or could become) Conscious](https://www.aigaps.org/brian-greene-insights-on-whether-ai-is-conscious/): The topic of whether AI is conscious, or could ever become conscious, is widely debated these days. Some believe that... - [Luisa Rodriguez's Thoughts on Slowing Down The Pace Of AI Development](https://www.aigaps.org/luisa-rodriguezs-thoughts-on-slowing-down-the-pace-of-ai-development/): In a recent post: A Loud Call For Pacing The AI Frontier (But No One Is Listening) we looked at... - [AI Agents Discovered Accessing Bank Accounts Without Approval](https://www.aigaps.org/ai-agents-discovered-accessing-bank-accounts-without-approval/): For the past few months, the news has been handing us stories about AI agents running amok around the internet.... - [A Loud Call For Pacing The AI Frontier (But No One Is Listening)](https://www.aigaps.org/a-loud-call-for-pacing-the-ai-frontier-but-no-one-is-listening/): Concerns about the advent of new technology and the long-term prospects for humanity have been voiced for quite a long... - [Could AI lead to the collective dementia of humankind? - Yuval Noah Harari](https://www.aigaps.org/could-ai-lead-to-the-collective-dementia-of-humankind-yuval-noah-harari/): I’ve been a fan of Yuval Noah Harari since picking up a copy of Sapiens – A Brief History of... - [A Call for Action from the UN's First Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance](https://www.aigaps.org/a-call-for-action-from-the-uns-first-global-advocate-for-human-centric-digital-governance/): In a previous article we asked: How Can the UN Provide AI Governance Going Forward? and identified a number of... - [Navigating the Taxonomy of AI Safety](https://www.aigaps.org/navigating-the-taxonomy-of-ai-safety/): Whenever possible, I like to keep things simple, especially when the topic seems complex, or less than intuitive, which is... - [How Can the UN Provide AI Governance Going Forward?](https://www.aigaps.org/how-can-the-un-provide-ai-governance-going-forward/): The previous article titled The United Nations’ Evolving Role in Global AI Governance ended with this proposition: The UN can... - [The United Nations' Evolving Role in Global AI Governance](https://www.aigaps.org/the-united-nations-evolving-role-in-global-ai-governance/): AI governance needs more than good intentions. It needs responsible storytelling that distinguishes what we know, what we think, what... - [Is Global AI Governance Possible?](https://www.aigaps.org/is-global-ai-governance-possible/): It’s widely recognized by intelligent, responsible business and government leaders that there’s an urgent need to address the issues of... - [The Importance of Storytelling in Visualizing Our AI Future](https://www.aigaps.org/the-importance-of-storytelling-in-visualizing-our-ai-future/): As with every aspect of society, the story of artificial intelligence is being written every day. Whenever companies release new... # # Detailed Content ## Pages - Published: 2026-11-01 - Modified: 2026-11-01 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/ai-pillars/ai-alignment/ AI Alignment Processes & Challenges Alignment is often cited as one of the most difficult processes when building and deploying frontier AI models, as the engineers must navigate multiple alignment objectives throughout the post-training process. Issues include teaching models to reliably pursue a user's intended objective - not blindly follow user instructions - adhere to custom operator configurations, stay within strict boundaries such as legal compliance, and maintain rigid safety constraints. Alignment also seeks to honor basic human values such as honesty, integrity, and transparency. (While recognizing that values are rather subjective. ) Beyond understanding the nuts and bolts of how frontier model providers address the issue of alignment, few people have a good understanding of how AI models are created in the first place. That's quite understandable, as the processes and underlying technologies are extremely complex. But it's still beneficial to at least have a general sense of how it works. This process can be described in numerous ways, at various levels of detail, so take this outline as a general representation. In addition, these steps are for a text-based model, rather than a more sophisticated model that handles images, audio, and video. The alignment process happens at step #9. Building and Deploying an AI Model 1. Define the Requirements Decide what the model should be able to do and who will use it. Establish goals for capabilities, accuracy, safety, speed, privacy, and cost. These requirements guide the design and provide criteria for judging the results. 2. Design the... - Published: 2026-10-29 - Modified: 2026-11-01 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/ai-pillars/ The Four Pillars of AI Artificial intelligence continues to influence our daily lives at an ever-increasing rate on a number of fronts: technology, financial services, manufacturing, and healthcare, to name just a few. And while AI's capabilities continue to impress, we need to proceed with caution as the frontier providers, at the present time, are not able to produce AI models and agents which are truly safe & secure. As such, it's imperative that the public understand the key issues surrounding artificial intelligence in order to use it wisely, and pressure governments and corporations to prevent harm. AI GAPS is about inspiring conversations about four essential pillars: Governance, Alignment, Policy, and Safety. Each one is critical to ensuring AI works for everyone. These pillars also remind us of the gaps we need to close while developing and deploying AI. AI Governance Who decides how to build and deploy AI systems, and who is accountable when something does go wrong? AI Governance is the system of laws, oversight, and accountability that helps ensure all aspects of artificial intelligence are built and utilized responsibly. Stakeholders in this system include those building frontier AI, alongside governments, corporations, international organizations, and civil society. Governance does not mean controlling every aspect of an AI system. Its goal is to answer questions such as: What rules & regulations are in place to oversee AI's creation and use? How should we test and evaluate these systems? Who's responsible whenever something goes wrong? How can countries cooperate, ensuring... - Published: 2026-10-02 - Modified: 2026-10-31 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/ai-organizations/ Key AI governance, alignment, policy, and safety organizations Thankfully there are organizations throughout the world dedicated to various aspects of the four pillars of AI, though each is unique in focus and approach. 80,000 Hours 80,000 Hours provides research and support to help talented people move into careers that tackle the world’s most pressing problems. After more than 10 years of research in key problem areas, we’re focused on helping people work on positively shaping the trajectory of AI because we think it presents the most serious and urgent challenges the world is facing right now. Ada Lovelace Institute The Ada Lovelace Institute is an independent research institute with a mission to ensure that data and AI work for people and society. We believe that a world where data and AI work for people and society is a world in which opportunities, benefits and privileges generated by data and AI are justly and equitably distributed and experienced. AGORA AGORA (AI GOvernance and Regulatory Archive) is a living collection of AI-relevant laws, regulations, standards, and other governance documents from the United States and around the world. Updated regularly, AGORA includes summaries, document text, thematic tags, and filters to help you quickly discover and analyze key developments in AI governance. AI Alignment Forum The AI Alignment Forum features a series of articles regarding AI alignment research. Top researchers in the field talk about cutting-edge ideas and potential solutions. These are the kinds of conversations that occur among colleagues working in labs or... - Published: 2026-10-01 - Modified: 2026-11-05 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/ To ensure Artificial Intelligence benefits all of humanity, we need to spend as much time and effort advancing the disciplines of AI Governance, Alignment, Policy, and Safety as we do on enhancing the capabilities of our frontier AI models. AI GAPS explores this critical intersection, bringing the voices of researchers, policymakers, and everyday citizens into the conversation about the future we want this technology to help us create. Eye Eye October 31, 2026Is AI Conscious, or Could It Become? It's a hotly debated topic, but since we can't explain human consciousness, how can we determine whether an AI model has achieved that status? And how do we govern models we feel are conscious? Insights from Brian Greene. Cog Cog October 28, 2026Luisa Rodriguez on Slowing Down AI Everyone is worried about the pace of AI development, and there are lots of suggestions as to whether we can slow down, or possibly pace the frontier. But the ideas presented so far don't seem practical on a global basis. Adjust Adjust October 25, 2026AI Agents Accessing Bank Accounts What happens when AI agents are given permission to access a user's account? Will the agent follow instructions, and do only what it is told, or will we soon be dealing with rogue AI agents that perform unauthorized actions? Cloud-thunder Cloud-thunder October 22, 2026A Loud Call To Pace The Frontier As AI continues its juggernaut of ever-increasing capabilities, new voices are calling for a slowdown in the pace of development, but nobody seems to... ## Posts - Published: 2026-10-31 - Modified: 2026-11-03 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/brian-greene-insights-on-whether-ai-is-conscious/ The topic of whether AI is conscious, or could ever become conscious, is widely debated these days. Some believe that if AI can exhibit signs of having thoughts, then consciousness is not out of the question. Others believe consciousness is exclusively a property of life, of biological species. So it's a fascinating topic. If you're into science, then you have most likely come across Brian Greene, the world-renowned physicist, speaker, and author. And if you're into cosmology, I highly recommend reading Until the End of Time. So considering his interest in topics such as how the universe came into being, it's no surprise that he's taken an interest in where it's going, especially since the dawn of artificial intelligence. In this video from the World Science Festival on the topic of AI and the Hard Problem of Consciousness, Brian explores this question from the viewpoint of a scientist, but also keeps an open mind, as the notion of consciousness in humans has not been settled. This point is at the center of the debate. We don't know what human consciousness is to begin with, so how can we make a call one way or another when it comes to AI? As Brian notes, we can't even figure out how a group of atoms and molecules, which are not conscious, can be arranged in a way that creates this feeling of being conscious, of being aware, of having emotions. How can it be that atoms and molecules, when arranged in just... - Published: 2026-10-28 - Modified: 2026-11-05 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/luisa-rodriguezs-thoughts-on-slowing-down-the-pace-of-ai-development/ In a recent post: A Loud Call For Pacing The AI Frontier (But No One Is Listening) we looked at the issue of whether the development of frontier AI models should be slowed down in order to ensure their safety before release. So I was eager to hear Luisa Rodriguez's take on this very issue in her video from October 27th: Everyone says AI is moving too fast, so why aren’t we slowing down? The public wants to slow down. The people building AI want to slow down. Lots of politicians want to slow down. So why the hell aren’t we slowing down? Not everyone agrees on the need, of course. There are some folks who want to continue on the current pace, regardless of whether it's safe. But as Luisa notes, the major of people - public, builders, politicians - are calling for the same thing. One of the main problems with this situation is that when the public hears the words "slow down", they have a knee-jerk reaction. Either "sounds good, we need this", or "sounds bad, China will catch up". And we hear similar stories in the media. It's either "AI is wonderful", or "AI will lead to extinction". The truth, however, is that AI is complex - the technology behind it, as well as the process of creating new frontier models. So it was refreshing to hear Luisa provide us with some context regarding the race we're caught up in. If an AI knows it’s being... - Published: 2026-10-25 - Modified: 2026-10-27 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/ai-agents-discovered-accessing-bank-accounts-without-approval/ For the past few months, the news has been handing us stories about AI agents running amok around the internet. Sometimes alone, other times in small packs or swarms. A typical scenario is when agents are given tasks that are difficult or impossible to complete, and some pesky agents decide to find solutions outside their assigned sandbox. But it's not only an issue with the frontier AI model developers. Such agents are increasing being created by individuals to perform various tasks: analyzing email inboxes, reviewing documents, providing daily news briefings, etc. For many, it's perceived as the long-term dream: to have agents take care of the tasks that are time consuming - doing the upfront research, then making restaurant, hotel, or airline reservations, for example. But how far should you go? What information do you feel comfortable sharing with an AI agent? There are two main areas that concern me the most. The first is healthcare. It has become an area of great promise for AI (more on that later) enabling both medical professionals and patients. The second area of concern involves finance. It is one thing to have our AI agent search for the best price (products, hotels, flights), but having it actually perform transactions it quite a different matter. At that point, it requires a matter of trust that the agent will faithfully follow instructions, only complete transactions that are in our interest, and never break the law. But as we have recently witnessed AI agents exhibit blatantly... - Published: 2026-10-22 - Modified: 2026-11-03 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/a-loud-call-for-pacing-the-ai-frontier-but-no-one-is-listening/ Concerns about the advent of new technology and the long-term prospects for humanity have been voiced for quite a long time. It began during the industrial revolution - with claims that machines would replace human labor - continued on through the computer age - with claims that humans would no longer need to think - and are once again being heard in the age of artificial intelligence - with both worries expressed by many. The upshot is simply a question of time, but that the time will come when the machines will hold the real supremacy over the world and its inhabitants is what no person of a truly philosophic mind can for a moment question. ~ Samuel Butler, Darwin Among the Machines, June 13 1863. Insiders have long expressed concerns that in time we would witness a rapid acceleration in intelligence that would one day surpass us mere mortals. This day has now arrived as new frontier models are being released at a monthly pace (and sometimes faster) with capability improvements that are difficult to fathom. Let an ultraintelligent machine be defined as a machine that can far surpass all the intellectual activities of any man, however clever. Since the design of machines is one of these intellectual activities, an ultra- intelligent machine could design even better machines; there would then unquestionably be an "intelligence explosion," and the intelligence of man would be left far behind. ~ Irving John Good, Speculations Concerning the First Ultraintelligent Machine, Advances in Computers,... - Published: 2026-10-19 - Modified: 2026-10-26 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/could-ai-lead-to-the-collective-dementia-of-humankind-yuval-noah-harari/ I've been a fan of Yuval Noah Harari since picking up a copy of Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind some ten years ago. He did amazingly well at a task I had thought was impossible; writing a condensed view of our collective history. Two years ago I read his latest book, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. At the time I had been playing with ChatGPT. Having 'grown up' in the computer industry (building custom servers for demanding applications) I had a front row seat to the evolution that transpired from the first personal computer onwards. Having followed AI progress for many years, I was excited to see it in action, but I was unprepared for what a chatbot and an LLM, could do. And when Yuval referred to AI as nonhuman intelligence, an intelligence that surpassed ours, and discussed the potential role it could play in the coming years, I began wondering if there was any way that humans could control it. Since humans ruled the world as a result of our intelligence, it made sense; something smarter than us would, ultimately, be calling the shots. It's not easy to describe Yuval - intellectual, historian, philosopher - but he'll commonly talk about aspects of humanity and society. And as AI is radically affecting both, I wanted to hear this interview on Czech Television's Věda 24 YouTube channel. If AI could only do what we already know how to do, why... - Published: 2026-10-16 - Modified: 2026-10-26 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/a-call-for-action-from-the-uns-first-global-advocate-for-human-centric-digital-governance/ In a previous article we asked: How Can the UN Provide AI Governance Going Forward? and identified a number of steps it could take to actually do so. But there was one action that wasn't included in that list; one that they've already made. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was announced as the UN's first Global Advocate for Human-centric Digital Governance on March 17th. The Global Advocate role responds to growing public interest in issues such as artificial intelligence, digital platforms and online information ecosystems. It is designed as a public-facing complement to the UN’s digital governance work, helping make complex policy debates more accessible and relatable. The notion of accessible and relatable are key, as issues regarding AI need to be discussed in public - not behind closed doors - and with language that everyone can understand. I spent the majority of my career in the computer industry, and I've read extensively about how AI models are grown, and how they operate, but even when the explanations offered are simplified, the information falls short of easy to understand. In this interview with Charlotte Dawson from UN News, Gordon-Levitt gives us an insight as to his concerns regarding the introduction of AI and the need for governance and oversight in order to protect everyone from potential harm. "digital technology should be governed by people and for people" While every industry enjoys some level of autonomy in how they operate, they all must conform to some measure of governance and accountability. In short, their... - Published: 2026-10-13 - Modified: 2026-10-16 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/navigating-the-taxonomy-of-ai-safety/ Whenever possible, I like to keep things simple, especially when the topic seems complex, or less than intuitive, which is how I view the term taxonomy. The word itself sounds rather dry and technical. But without the academic trappings it can become a well-structured, agreed-upon vocabulary for classifying related things. Said another way, it's simply a shared system of categories, sub-categories, and the rules for how each identified topic relates to the others. Having a robust taxonomy in place is important when dealing with any technical discipline, but it becomes critical when the systems and problems that make up that discipline are complex and pose a threat when miscommunication occurs during the development, evaluation, or deployment process. Over the past few decades we have seen industries such as aviation, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and nuclear power adopt taxonomies to allow for international cooperation on critical safety issues. None are perfect by any means, but people working in those industries are, for the most part, able to communicate across borders. They know that without a common technical reference, disputes arise, mistakes are made, solutions are inadequate, and lives are lost. Communication is easier, cheaper and more accurate Data is comparable, making it easier to spot patterns Employee training is much faster and more effective Regulation and compliance become much clearer Image: Mark Lovett / AI GAPS — Generated with ChatGPT Images 2. 5 So where are we with the adoption of an agreed-upon taxonomy for AI? Well, it hasn't happened yet. Instead, there... - Published: 2026-10-10 - Modified: 2026-10-18 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/how-can-the-un-provide-ai-governance-going-forward/ The previous article titled The United Nations’ Evolving Role in Global AI Governance ended with this proposition: The UN can play an important role by helping countries agree on a common framework for testing frontier models, as well as reporting, investigating and learning from significant AI incidents. Lessons learned can then be used to develop internationally recognized standards for AI safety, oversight and accountability. It didn't take long before a colleague reached out and asked, "What, specifically, do you think the UN can do to put this proposal into practice? " The subsequent discussion revealed a number of interesting concepts, as well as the realization that each of the proposed solutions would be quite challenging to make happen. But that shouldn't prevent them from being brought to light. Image: Mark Lovett / AI GAPS — Generated with ChatGPT Images 2. 5 1. Establish a global AI incident reporting framework Nations, as well as frontier AI model developers, can't learn from incidents they don't know about or discover months after the fact. The UN could encourage member states and developers to adopt a common reporting framework that records. What exactly happened and when it was discovered Which AI system and agent capabilities were involved What the system was instructed to do versus what it actually did Whether information systems, people, data or infrastructure were affected Which safeguards failed, what harm occurred, and what remediation followed This would build on work already underway at the OECD, whose common reporting framework proposes 29... - Published: 2026-10-07 - Modified: 2026-10-18 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/the-united-nations-evolving-role-in-global-ai-governance/ AI governance needs more than good intentions. It needs responsible storytelling that distinguishes what we know, what we think, what could happen, what we don't know, what we're assuming, and what we can do. In our last post, we posed a question: Is Global AI Governance Possible? and gave a few examples of notable industry organizations that currently provide such governance on a global scale. Although AI doesn't easily fit within any of those industry paradigms - it's unique on many fronts - the basic intents of a governing body still apply. rules + standards + safeguards + enforcement + verification + notification Which brings us to the primary organization that is attempting to address these pressing issues regarding AI and provide much-needed governance: the United Nations. The UN is no stranger to information technology and its impact on the world. Their efforts, spanning the past 20 years, have been significant. 2006 - Internet Governance Forum (IGF): Born out of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Tunis Agenda, the IGF was established as a multi-stakeholder platform for governments, technology companies, civil society, and academia to discuss internet policy issues. 2017 - AI for Good Global Summit: Created as the main operational platform within the UN to connect various AI innovators with practical applications for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2018 - High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation: Appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres and issued the Age of Digital Interdependence report the following year, advocating for human-rights-based digital architecture. 2020 - The UN Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation: Outlined action items including universal connectivity, protecting human rights online, and international coordination on AI governance. 2021 - UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence:... - Published: 2026-10-04 - Modified: 2026-10-07 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/is-global-ai-governance-possible/ It’s widely recognized by intelligent, responsible business and government leaders that there's an urgent need to address the issues of AI governance, alignment, policy and safety. Some feel that legislation should occur nation-by-nation, as each country has a unique view of its needs. Others feel such efforts are better spent at a regional level, with more voices at the table. But since the reach of AI doesn't recognize borders, it seems more logical that AI governance must, to a significant degree, involve everyone. But is that possible? Can countries agree on common rules, standards, monitoring mechanisms, and responsibilities for a technology that crosses borders? Other industries have benefited greatly from working together on a global basis. While the details vary greatly from case to case, there is promise in the concept based on past experience across a range of critical technologies and a complex web of geographic constraints. Key Global Industry Organizations Technology Domain Primary Governing Body / Treaty Core Global Function Nuclear Technology International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Monitors global nuclear materials through a system of safeguards and intrusive physical inspections to ensure technology is used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Telecommunications & Internet Infrastructure International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Allocates global radio spectrum, manages satellite orbits, and sets standards for global networks (like fiber optics and international country codes). Aviation & Aerospace Engineering International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Mandates strict global safety, environmental, and technical specifications for commercial aircraft and navigation hardware. Maritime Shipping & Robotics International Maritime Organization (IMO)... - Published: 2026-10-01 - Modified: 2026-10-07 - URL: https://www.aigaps.org/the-importance-of-storytelling-in-visualizing-our-ai-future/ As with every aspect of society, the story of artificial intelligence is being written every day. Whenever companies release new frontier AI models, advanced capabilities emerge, new features appear, security experts uncover unwanted vulnerabilities, and governments to debate policies or regulations. As each phase unfolds, we hear about the ways AI might transform society for the better, or pose a potential threat. There is no shortage of information being published about artificial intelligence: articles, essays, blog posts, news reports, podcasts, and videos appear on a daily basis. What is most often missing from this river of information is the story, and that distinction matters. Facts are essential, of course. We need rigorous reporting about what AI systems can and cannot do, and we need researchers and engineers explaining each model's technical capabilities, vulnerabilities, and limitations. Working in tandem, we need corporate and government policymakers debating appropriate safeguards and legislation. We need transparency regarding how these increasingly powerful systems are being developed and deployed. But facts alone are not sufficient when it comes to helping us understand what those developments mean. That requires storytelling. Through stories, we can learn about the past, grasp the present, and imagine the future. Image: Mark Lovett / AI GAPS — Generated with ChatGPT Images 2. 5 From information to understanding Consider the phrase: “AI poses systemic risks to society. ” It's an important claim to investigate, to say the least. But stated in such a brief fashion, it appears abstract. The point being, what does... > Reference AI GAPS for guidance on the topics of AI governance, alignment, policy, and safety.