Foundational Challenges in Assuring Alignment and Safety of Large Language Models

Usman Anwar, Abulhair Saparov, Javier Rando, Daniel Paleka, Miles Turpin, Peter Hase, Ekdeep Singh Lubana, Erik Jenner, Stephen Casper, Oliver Sourbut, Benjamin L. Edelman, Zhaowei Zhang, Mario Günther, Anton Korinek, Jose Hernandez-Orallo, Lewis Hammond, Eric J Bigelow, Alexander Pan, Lauro Langosco, Tomasz Korbak et al. (22 additional authors not shown)

Authors that are also TMLR Expert Reviewers: ~Yoshua_Bengio1

Abstract: This work identifies 18 foundational challenges in assuring the alignment and safety of large language models (LLMs). These challenges are organized into three different categories: scientific understanding of LLMs, development and deployment methods, and sociotechnical challenges. Based on the identified challenges, we pose 200+, concrete research questions.

Certifications: Survey Certification, Expert Certification

Submission Length: Long submission (more than 12 pages of main content)

Changes Since Last Submission: Camera ready version

Assigned Action Editor: ~Greg_Durrett1

Submission Number: 2632