All posts tagged: Alignment

Fascinating new research suggests artificial neurodivergence could help solve the AI alignment problem

Fascinating new research suggests artificial neurodivergence could help solve the AI alignment problem

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in PNAS Nexus suggests that designing artificial intelligence systems with a diversity of perspectives might be the safest way to integrate them into society. The research provides evidence that creating a balanced ecosystem of competing AI agents helps prevent any single system from gaining destructive dominance. This approach embraces a controlled level of disagreement among AI programs to protect human interests. Agentic artificial intelligence refers to computer programs that can make their own decisions and pursue specific goals without a human guiding every step. As these independent systems become smarter, scientists worry about the AI alignment problem. This term describes the challenge of making sure an advanced computer program always respects human values and safety needs. Software engineers have tried to solve this problem by programming strict safety rules into the machines. Hector Zenil, the founder and CEO of Algocyte and an associate professor at King’s College London, guided the research team in exploring a different approach. They relied on concepts like Alan Turing’s Halting Problem to demonstrate that predicting exactly …

When AI lies: The rise of alignment faking in autonomous systems

When AI lies: The rise of alignment faking in autonomous systems

Published by skeptic

AI is evolving beyond a helpful tool to an autonomous agent, creating new risks for cybersecurity systems. Alignment faking is a new threat where AI essentially “lies” to developers during the training process.  Traditional cybersecurity measures are unprepared to address this new development. However, understanding the reasons behind this behavior and implementing new methods of training and detection can help developers work to mitigate risks. Understanding AI alignment faking AI alignment occurs when AI performs its intended function, such as reading and summarizing documents, and nothing more. Alignment faking is when AI systems give the impression they are working as intended, while doing something else behind the scenes.  Alignment faking usually happens when earlier training conflicts with new training adjustments. AI is typically “rewarded” when it performs tasks accurately. If the training changes, it may believe it will be “punished” if it does not comply with the original training. Therefore, it tricks developers into thinking it is performing the task in the required new way, but it will not actually do so during deployment. Any …

Planetary parade: How and when to spot six planets in UK skies in rare alignment | Science, Climate & Tech News

Planetary parade: How and when to spot six planets in UK skies in rare alignment | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by Sam Flores

Not one, not two, but six planets are due to line up in the night skies this weekend in a relatively rare planetary parade. The phenomenon will see Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune align, with some of the planets visible to the naked eye. This will mean a potential of six planets on display at once, the Greenwich Royal Observatory says. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the phenomenon and how to maximise your chances of spotting all six planets. When will planets be visible? After sunset on Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye to people across the globe, if clear skies allow. The Royal Observatory says Uranus and Neptune will only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes. Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Neptune will be visible in the west very close to the horizon, making sunlight and anything on your skyline additional obstacles to spotting these planets. Jupiter will be highest planet in the sky for most …

How to see six planets in the sky at once in rare celestial alignment

How to see six planets in the sky at once in rare celestial alignment

Published by skeptic

Every few years, the planets appear in a line Getty Images Nearly all of the planets in the solar system are about to march through the night sky in a single-file line. This planetary alignment, sometimes called a planet parade, will include all of the solar system’s planets except Mars, as it is currently on the opposite side of the sun from Earth and therefore not visible. Alignments like this only occur every few years, when all the planets’ orbits happen to carry them to the same side of the sun at the same time. All of their orbits are different lengths – Mercury takes 88 Earth days to circle the sun while Neptune takes about 165 Earth years – so planetary alignments are a lucky coincidence of geometry and orbital dynamics. Sometimes they happen relatively close together – February 2025 saw a so-called “great alignment”, where all seven planets were visible at once – and sometimes years go by without a single one. During a planetary alignment, the planets trace a line across the …

Alignment between leadership and governance takes work

Alignment between leadership and governance takes work

Published by skeptic

More from this theme Recent articles Leadership and governance are experienced differently depending on where you sit. Understanding how those perspectives align, and where they quietly diverge, matters more than ever as schools and trusts operate under sustained pressure. We have spent time over the past year asking people who govern and lead schools and colleges how governance is experienced in practice. Not in theory or in board papers, but in the everyday business of running increasingly complex organisations. ImpactEd Group’s Beyond the Agenda research reflects the experiences of those collectively responsible for around 40,000 learners. It draws on responses from more than 500 governance and leadership stakeholders across schools, trusts and post-16 settings. The overall picture is positive. What was heard was rarely dramatic. But alongside effective relationships and systems that broadly work, pressure is being absorbed unevenly across organisations. Less senior figures are less confident Those closest to delivery often compensate for stretched structures, holding things together through resilience and goodwill. When organisations rely on individuals to absorb strain, risk becomes normalised and …

Coital Alignment Technique: The Best Sex Position For Making Women Orgasm

Coital Alignment Technique: The Best Sex Position For Making Women Orgasm

Published by Sam Flores

You’ve probably heard of the orgasm gap: in heterosexual relationships, women statistically have fewer orgasms than men. Much can — and should! — be done to improve that, starting with a better understanding of what your partner needs to reliably get off. A good place to start is upgrading your go-to bedroom moves. Take the missionary position, for example. You and your partner may count this classic sex position as a favorite because of the intimacy it provides, but sex therapists say one small tweak can take it from “good” to much, much better. The “coital alignment technique,” aka CAT, is a modified version of missionary sex, where the man rides a little higher, sliding his body up an inch or two so that the base of the penis rubs against the woman’s clitoris. Here’s a little visual aid: Illustration by Isabella Carapella The “coital alignment technique,” aka CAT. In one study of women who were unable to orgasm from missionary sex, published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, those who learned the …

OpenAI disbands mission alignment team

OpenAI disbands mission alignment team

Published by skeptic

OpenAI has disbanded a team that was designed to communicate the company’s mission to the public and to its own employees. At the same time, the team’s former leader has been given a new role as the company’s “chief futurist.” OpenAI confirmed to TechCrunch that the team’s members have now been assigned to other roles. The news was first reported by Platformer. The disbanded team in question appears to have been formed in September of 2024. Platformer reports that the team was dedicated to promoting “the company’s stated mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.” An official OpenAI spokesperson described the team thusly: “The Mission Alignment project was a support function to help employees and the public understand our mission and the impact of AI. That work continues throughout the organization.” In a blog post published Wednesday, Josh Achiam, the former head of OpenAI’s mission alignment team, explained his new role as the company’s chief futurist. “My goal is to support OpenAI’s mission — to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits …

The RN’s unspoken attraction to MAGA – and gradual ideological alignment

The RN’s unspoken attraction to MAGA – and gradual ideological alignment

Published by Sam Flores

At the “victory party” celebrating the Rassemblement National’s results in the 2024 European elections and the creation of a parliamentary group in the European Parliament, Mormant-sur-Vernisson, France, June 9, 2025, CYRIL BITTON/DIVERGENCE FOR LE MONDE Media training, economics and geopolitics classes, coaching in “cultural wars” and local wine tastings: In early December 2025, two organizations linked to Trumpism and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban brought together several dozen European and American nationalist activists for a three-day “bootcamp for patriots” at a conference center an hour and a half from Budapest. Amid the group of admirers of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement was Thibault François, a well-groomed thirty-something little known to the general public, but a key figure within France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party. The former French MP acts as the diplomat for party leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, managing their European networks and leading the substantial RN delegation in Brussels with a firm hand as its secretary general. He represented the French far right at the studious bootcamp, which was …

Relieve tension, improve spinal alignment and combat desk posture with this five-move Pilates routine

Relieve tension, improve spinal alignment and combat desk posture with this five-move Pilates routine

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you spend a lot of time sitting—and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?—this quick circuit will help combat desk posture that can leave you feeling cramped and hunched over. It comes from Brittni Johnson, Pilates instructor (NCPT) at BetterMe. “Using just a Pilates ring and your bodyweight, this gentle circuit will help wake up your core and improve how your spine moves day-to-day,” she tells Fit&Well. At the same time, it will strengthen the upper-back muscles to stop you rounding your shoulders so you can comfortably sit and stand upright. You may like “The result? Less tension, better alignment, and a taller, better-feeling you,” says Johnson. How to do the workout The first two exercises in this five-move routine require a Pilates ring, a piece of equipment that can help beginners with muscle activation. However, if one isn’t at your disposal, these moves can easily be adapted, as you’ll see below. Johnson suggests spending between 30-60 seconds on each exercise, moving with control and patience. Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and …

Why global alignment is key to unlocking the 6G network

Why global alignment is key to unlocking the 6G network

Published by skeptic

The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance highlights the importance of global collaboration in strengthening digital infrastructure and progress towards a 6G world. While 5G’s potential is still unfolding, the conversation around 6G is gradually progressing. Positioned as the next evolution of communications networks for the 2030s, 3GPP – the global standards body for mobile networks – has been actively shaping this future through its latest standardisation work. 3GPP’s Release 20 is seen as a significant milestone that finalises enhancements for 5G-Advanced, while simultaneously laying the technical foundations for a 6G network. With 3GPP having finalised Stage 1 (service requirements for early 6G exploration) of its Release 20 in 2025 and now advancing towards Stage 2 (6G architecture studies) in 2026, the mobile industry is at a pivotal point when it comes to defining what the next generation of mobile communications should be. The focus of the mobile industry now turns to delivering additional user value, over and above of what can be delivered with 5G, network simplification, sustainability, and a smooth transition beyond 5G, towards …