ParallaxHistories of alignment

A history in progress

The questions behind
the machines.

A growing history of AI alignment, connecting the people, ideas, and events that shaped it.

This is a small, sourced starting point—not a complete history. Read through time, follow a subject, or pause for an essay.

1950s

  1. October 1950

    Turing proposes the imitation game

    A paper reframes the question of machine thinking as an observable test.

1960s

  1. 1960

    Wiener publishes on the consequences of automation

    A bibliographic starting point for investigating the responsibilities of automated systems.

2010s

  1. June 21, 2016

    Concrete Problems in AI Safety is submitted

    A paper identifies five practical research problems in machine-learning accident risk.