Aligning AI to Human Values means Picking the Right Metrics

Optimizing systems can also incorporate the perspectives of non-users. A ride sharing platform may cause traffic jams for non-riders, and environmental effects are potentially global. There is a whole field of “multi-stakeholder optimization” that studies algorithms designed to account for these types of issues. A product recommendation system is typically designed to present users with products they are most likely to buy, but could also incorporate climate change concerns through estimates of product carbon footprint. These could be used to increase the visibility of alternative low-carbon products, with the goal of minimizing the metric of carbon intensity per unit revenue.