Using AI Alignment Theory to understand the potential pitfalls of regulatory frameworks

Abstract: This paper leverages insights from Alignment Theory (AT) research, which primarily focuses on the potential pitfalls of technical alignment in Artificial Intelligence, to critically examine the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act). In the context of AT research, several key failure modes - such as proxy gaming, goal drift, reward hacking or specification gaming - have been identified. These can arise when AI systems are not properly aligned with their intended objectives. The central logic of this report is: what can we learn if we treat regulatory efforts in the same way as we treat advanced AI systems? As we systematically apply these concepts to the EU AI Act, we uncover potential vulnerabilities and areas for improvement in the regulation.