• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it

2

Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy

3

A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history

1

CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it

2

Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy

3

A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history
LeadershipStartups & Venture

Meet Rebecca Gorman, whose company, Aligned AI, is trying to match up human values with machine learning

Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
Down Arrow Button Icon
Michal Lev-Ram
By
Michal Lev-Ram
Michal Lev-Ram
Special Correspondent
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 10, 2023, 6:00 AM ET
Rebecca Gorman
Courtesy of Aligned AI

Even the best artificial intelligence systems don’t always reflect what humans actually want—or need. Rebecca Gorman has made it her mission to better align these two things or rather, to better align A.I. with what humans are actually asking it to do.

Her startup, aptly named Aligned AI, is the culmination of years of research into how to make the underpinnings of A.I. safer and more ethical, including research she conducted at the University of Oxford. She was living in San Francisco when she met a fellow researcher, Stuart Armstrong, who was simultaneously working on ways we could prevent or at least mitigate existential risk from A.I., when Aligned AI was hatched. 

“He was giving [a talk] on a controversial subject dear to both our hearts: that A.I. will inaccurately deduce what a human wants if all it has to go on is data about a human’s behavior,” says Gorman. She says that meeting led to “extensive research collaboration, and ultimately founding this company to research, develop, and distribute technology for aligning artificial intelligence with human values.”

Two years in, Gorman and her team are building out an alternative to OpenAI. It’s a model that learns “concepts that correspond to ours,” says Gorman (the “ours” refers to human beings). Basically, the entrepreneur and her cofounder are trying to develop technology that has more safety guardrails in place, which she believes will reduce the cost and time involved with deploying A.I. models, in addition to cutting down on bad or biased information.  

“At this very moment, we have more inbound sales inquiries than we can service,” says Gorman. “[It’s] a good problem to have.”

Fun fact: Gorman learned to program at age 8 and made her “first A.I.” 20 years ago. 

The Fortune Founders Forum is a community of entrepreneurs chosen by Fortune’s editorial team to participate at the annual Brainstorm Tech conference, which took place in Deer Valley, Utah, in July. Our inaugural cohort was selected based on a variety of factors, including the potential impact of their companies, and reflected a diversity of geographies, sectors, and demographics.

About the Author
Michal Lev-Ram
By Michal Lev-RamSpecial Correspondent
Twitter icon

Michal Lev-Ram is a special correspondent covering the technology and entertainment sectors for Fortune, writing analysis and longform reporting.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

‘The next China is still China’: McKinsey’s Joe Ngai and Nick Leung on why global business can’t write off the Chinese economy
AsiaAsia Agenda
‘The next China is still China’: McKinsey’s Joe Ngai and Nick Leung on why global business can’t write off the Chinese economy
By Nicholas GordonJune 4, 2026
6 hours ago
A maintenance worker walks past the company logo on the side of a locomotive in the Union Pacific Railroad fueling yard in north Denver, Oct. 18, 2006.
North AmericaDonald Trump
Union Pacific CEO responds to Trump idea for U.S. stake in $71.5 billion railroad mega merger: ‘We do not need anybody’s help to do this’
By Jordan BlumJune 4, 2026
7 hours ago
John Furner
SuccessCareers
Walmart CEO John Furner worked his way up from the garden center. After 30 years, he’s sharing the one trait that matters most in his job
By Preston ForeJune 4, 2026
10 hours ago
Isolated Gen Z worker in office
SuccessGen Z
Gen Zers are more disconnected and distrustful of coworkers than their older colleagues—and they’re so lonely they’re taking days off work
By Emma BurleighJune 4, 2026
11 hours ago
jd
BankingBubbles
Jamie Dimon sees ‘gung-ho’ attitude and ‘exuberance’ in markets—just like 1972, 1986, 2000 and 2007. Uh Oh.
By Nick LichtenbergJune 4, 2026
13 hours ago
gg
Environmentprotests
Albanian protesters are furious about a giant development on a virgin beach that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump discovered on vacation
By Zana Cimili and The Associated PressJune 4, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it
Success
CEO says anyone who works from home is grabbing groceries or at the vet 30% of the time—and shows off his busy office at Friday 5 p.m. to prove it
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 4, 2026
19 hours ago
Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy
Cybersecurity
Ohio city workers are covering automated license plate readers with trash bags as officials sound the alarm on 'egregious violations' of privacy
By Sasha RogelbergJune 3, 2026
2 days ago
A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history
Startups & Venture
A single new sentence in SpaceX's amended IPO filing could signal the biggest merger in history
By Shawn TullyJune 4, 2026
20 hours ago
10,000 Boomers a day, $39 trillion in debt, and no benefit cuts: Bessent stakes Social Security on the Trump economy
Economy
10,000 Boomers a day, $39 trillion in debt, and no benefit cuts: Bessent stakes Social Security on the Trump economy
By Nick LichtenbergJune 4, 2026
11 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 4, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 4, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 4, 2026
13 hours ago
Teens are up against the worst summer job market in nearly 80 years—they’re fighting against hundreds to work at ice cream shops and swimming pools
Success
Teens are up against the worst summer job market in nearly 80 years—they’re fighting against hundreds to work at ice cream shops and swimming pools
By Emma BurleighJune 2, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.