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AI Safety & Responsible AI

AI control

Ways to limit harmful AI behavior even when the system itself cannot be fully trusted.

Example

A workflow uses monitoring and restricted permissions around an untrusted AI system.

Why people use it

It limits what a potentially unreliable AI system can do.

What you'll hear

“Even if it behaves badly, what can it actually reach?”

What this means for you

Test the controls against realistic failure and evasion scenarios.

Can you control it?

Sometimes

Sometimes. Your choices depend on the tool and your access. The settings available to an everyday user may differ from those available to the people running it.

Common questions

Is AI control the same as assuming the AI system is aligned?
No. It explicitly considers safeguards that may need to work despite untrusted behavior.
Can restrictions reduce useful capability too?
Yes. Blocking access or actions can prevent some helpful work as well as harmful behavior.
Is monitoring alone enough?
Not always. Detecting a problem does not guarantee that someone can stop it in time.

Related terms

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