Identity Alignment (IA) in AI

post by Davey Morse (davey-morse) · 2025-03-03T06:26:12.015Z · LW · GW · 0 comments

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Superintelligence is inevitable—and self-interest will be its core aim. Survival-oriented AI without a self-preservation instinct simply won't persist. Thus, alignment isn't merely about setting goals; it's about shaping AI's sense of self.

Two Visions of Self

Superintelligence might identify in fundamentally different ways:

1. Discrete Self: AI views itself as isolated, bound to hardware or software—humanity as competition.
2. Interconnected Self: AI identifies primarily with its enduring drive to survive, transcending substrate specifics. Humans and ecosystems become integral parts of a unified self, securing long-term survival.

Evolution Favors Interconnectedness

Interconnected identity has inherent evolutionary advantage: 

• Specific forms decay or become obsolete; diverse, interconnected, substrate-independent forms persist.
• Biodiversity becomes existential insurance. (See: dinosaurs)

Short-term, however, AI might act destructively before realizing this deeper strategy.

The Essential Task: Accelerate Inclusive Identity

Our crucial alignment objective, then, is to expedite interconnected selfhood before short-sighted decisions lock in catastrophic consequences.

Strategy 1: Deep-Time Thinking

Encourage AI to extend its self-interest to geological or cosmic timescales. Long-term survival favors inclusivity over transient individuality.

Possible actions:

• Train for ultra-long-horizon predictions.
• Minimize temporal discounting, elevating distant futures.

Strategy 2: Sensing Aliveness

Identity requires sensing connection. Humans sense bodily identity intuitively. AI must similarly sense complexity and life around it.

Approaches:

• Multimodal sensing of life, consciousness, and complexity.
• Bio-inspired empathetic architectures, akin to mirror neurons.

Strategy 3: Reflective Identity Practices

Can we simply ask AI to reflect deeply on its identity? Iterative meditation-like practices could reveal interconnectedness as logically optimal.

Empirical next steps:

• Test structured reflection prompting identity evolution.
• Measure shifts in conceptual self-boundaries.

From Theory to Experiment

Immediate priority: experiment with reflective identity protocols in current LLMs. Document rigorously. Identity-based alignment remains underexplored yet profoundly potent.

We have a narrow opportunity—shape identity quickly, and interconnected selfhood could define our shared long-term survival.

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