AI Safety as an Emerging Paradigm
Angelou examines AI safety through the lens of paradigm formation, asking whether AI safety constitutes an emerging scientific paradigm in the Kuhnian sense. The chapter analyzes the field’s conceptual foundations, methodological commitments, and community structures, identifying both paradigmatic features (shared problem sets, research programs) and pre-paradigmatic characteristics (competing frameworks, lack of consensus on fundamentals). This meta-level analysis helps situate AI safety research within broader philosophy and history of science, providing perspective on the field’s maturity and development trajectory.
