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Written after the deployment, not before.

Essays on AI architecture, strategy and the org problems in between. Heart what’s useful, argue with me in the comments.

Tagged alignment-taxclear ✕


Jul 13, 2026

alignment tax9 min read

The Alignment Tax: Why Making LLMs Safer Can Make Them Less Capable

Improving the safety and helpfulness of large language models often comes at a cost to their raw capabilities. This trade-off, known as the 'alignment tax,' is a fundamental challenge in making AI systems that are both powerful and beneficial.

Two gears, one labeled "Safety" and the other "Capability," are misaligned.

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