Environmental alignment for artificial intelligence

A critical gap exists between artificial intelligence (AI) alignment research and environmentalists’ efforts on AI’s use and energy footprint: ensuring AI systems’ behaviors and outputs are consistent with the goals and well-being of biospheric health and ecological viability including but beyond humans. As AI systems quickly weave into the core digital infrastructure underlying and driving human activity and become more autonomous, the goals and values that we imbue into AI systems will scale environmental outcomes exponentially. This paper’s intention is to introduce the concept of the environmental alignment problem in AI development and to anchor questions on what goals to align to, how to develop such alignment, and how to course correct. By naming the problem explicitly, this work invites further exploration and solution-building by the broader community.