misalignments
Things out of sync
Misalignments are instances where things fail to line up properly—physically, conceptually, or in purpose.
Wheels have misalignments when they don't track straight.
Organizations suffer misalignments when goals or incentives pull in different directions: The misalignments between sales and engineering created constant friction.
In AI safety discourse, misalignments refer to gaps between what an AI system does and what its designers intended.
Incompatible combination
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
- gapUnfilled space between
- deviationDeparture from expected path
variance · divergence · incongruity · disconnect · error · fault · irregularity · skew
Absence of balanced form
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- unevennessLack of uniformity
- lopsidednessState of being uneven
- tiltAngular deviation from level
skew · disproportion · distortion · crookedness · irregularity · warping · bending · displacement
Adjusting for measurement accuracy
- offsetCompensate by opposing force
- skewTwist from straight
- driftGradual movement, no direction
- errorFault in communication
deviation · tolerance · adjustment · correction · recalibration · synchronization · tracking · registration
Absence of shared opinion
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- tensionStretched or strained state
- discordLack of agreement
opposition · dispute · contention · dissonance · rift · antagonism · strife · disunity
Abnormal or unhealthy operation
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- disconnectTo break a connection
- miscommunicationFailed exchange of meaning
- silosFarm storage towers
fragmentation · inefficiency · bottleneck · confusion · disorganization · incoherence · inconsistency · redundancy
mismatch
Incompatible combination
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
- gapUnfilled space between
deviation · variance · divergence · incongruity · disconnect · error · fault · irregularity · skew · distortion
asymmetry
Absence of balanced form
- imbalanceLack of proportion
- unevennessLack of uniformity
- lopsidednessState of being uneven
tilt · skew · disproportion · distortion · crookedness · irregularity · warping · bending · displacement · shifting
calibration
Adjusting for measurement accuracy
error · deviation · tolerance · adjustment · correction · recalibration · synchronization · tracking · registration · parallax
disagreement
Absence of shared opinion
- clashViolent disagreement or collision
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- tensionStretched or strained state
discord · opposition · dispute · contention · dissonance · rift · antagonism · strife · disunity · disconnect
dysfunction
Abnormal or unhealthy operation
- breakdownFailure or decomposition
- disconnectTo break a connection
- miscommunicationFailed exchange of meaning
silos · fragmentation · inefficiency · bottleneck · confusion · disorganization · incoherence · inconsistency · redundancy · overlap
misalignmentsalignments
Proper relative positions
perfect alignment · straightness · symmetry · registration · parallelism
misalignmentsalignments
Proper relative positions
harmonies · agreements · consensus · correspondences · concordance