Brian Christian is an author, researcher, and poet whose work sits at the intersection of computer science, philosophy, and human values. His 2020 book The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values drew on four years of research and over 100 interviews with AI researchers to provide an accessible account of the technical and ethical challenges of ensuring AI systems behave as intended. The book won the 2022 Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication from the National Academies. Christian is also conducting doctoral research in psychology at the University of Oxford focused on human preferences and reward modeling, with the explicit goal of informing efforts to align AI systems with human values. He is affiliated with the Center for Human-Compatible AI at UC Berkeley, the Human Information Processing Lab at Oxford, and the AI Policy and Governance Working Group at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.
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Theory of Change
Christian's theory of change operates on two tracks. First, as a science communicator, he aims to generate serious interest in AI safety and alignment among academics, policymakers, and the broader public — expanding the talent pipeline and political will for this work. The Alignment Problem in particular was intended to make technical alignment research legible to researchers in adjacent fields and to decision-makers. Second, through his own primary research on human preferences and reward modeling, he aims to directly contribute to the technical foundations of AI alignment — specifically by improving our understanding of how human values can be formally represented and used to train AI systems. His affiliation with CHAI and engagement with policymakers in six countries and the UN reflects a belief that both technical progress and institutional awareness are necessary to reduce AI risk.
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- Last Updated
- Apr 2, 2026, 9:52 PM UTC
- Created
- Mar 20, 2026, 2:34 AM UTC