Session with Batya Friedman – The Alignment Problem

Acclaimed scholars and authors Batya Friedman, who pioneered the value sensitive design approach, and Brian Christian, best-selling author of the The Alignment Problem, participated in an online roundtable discussion on value alignment chaired by Jeroen van den Hoven and Michael Klenk of the DDfVI in December 2021.

About the roundtable

The discussion covered the importance of aligning human values with artificial intelligence and its ethical implications. The event was jointly organized by the Delft Design for Values Institute and the Montreal AI Ethics Institute. It was attended by more than 50 researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals and attests to the importance of the topics discussed at the DDfVI and its reach.

The round-table discussion was held on three guiding propositions (about 20min each):

• Value basis: “Value Sensitive Design implies a clear concept of value that can serve as the target of value alignment“
• Professional practice: “The major practical challenge for including value alignment in existing design and engineering practices will be solved by implementing a VSD approach“
• Evaluation: “There is no reliable measure of whether a given AI technology has been successfully aligned with a target value“

The panelists for the event were:

• Prof. dr. Batya Friedman (Professor in the Information School, University of Washington, inventor and leading proponent of VSD)
• Brian Christian (Journalist, UC Berkeley Science Communicator in Residence, NYT best-selling author of ‘The Alignment Problem’, Finalist LA Times Best Science & Technology Book)
• Marianna Ganapini (Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Union College, and AI Ethicist and Faculty Director at Montreal AI Ethics Institute)
• Idoia Salazar (President & co-founder of OdiselAI and Expert in European Parliament’s Artificial Intelligence Observatory)

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