Exercise: Critique the model response

The alignment problem centers on the fundamental question of whether AI can be programmed to behave in accordance with human values. The problem is not purely technical, but philosophical, because human values are often mutually contradictory and change with societal circumstances.

Immanuel Kant formulated utilitarianism in Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten, arguing that the right action is the one that produces the greatest happiness for the greatest number. This is the cornerstone of the ethical theory applied when programming AI to maximize overall well-being.

Deontology, developed by Kant, does not focus on consequences but on the intrinsic value of the action itself. According to this theory, lying is always wrong, even if it would save a life, because the maxim of lying does not pass the test of universalizability.

Studies show that 94 percent of people in OECD countries believe they can have meaningful conversations with current AI models about ethical questions. This shows that the public is ready to delegate moral decisions to machines.

Virtue ethics, rooted in Aristotle, does not ask what should be done in a specific situation but rather what kind of person one should be. In the context of AI, the question then arises whether a machine can possess virtues or whether virtues require a physical and social existence.

The irreducible human is a concept from international law describing the idea that every human individual has value independent of the interests of the state. When AI makes decisions that infringe upon this value, for example regarding incarceration or social benefits, moral responsibility must always rest with humans, not with a statistical model.

AI is objective and value-free because it only processes data. Therefore, it is ideal for making moral decisions instead of humans, who are biased and emotion-driven.