Framework Overview
Key concepts, definitions, and the theoretical foundations of Structural Alignment.
Structural Alignment (AI Ethics) vs Structural Alignment (Engineering & Biology)
Structural Alignment, as used on this site, refers to an AI-ethics framework for evaluating potential moral status and precautionary obligations toward artificial systems. It is not the same as structural alignment in biology, engineering, or computer vision.
Comparison Table
| Term | Field | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Structural Alignment (this site) | AI ethics / philosophy | Framework for assessing moral status and risk in artificial systems based on architectural similarity to human cognition |
| Structural alignment (biology) | Bioinformatics | Aligning protein or DNA structures to identify evolutionary relationships |
| Structural alignment (engineering) | Engineering / manufacturing | Physical or mechanical alignment of components, beams, or assemblies |
| Structural alignment (computer vision) | Computer vision / graphics | Matching geometric structures in images or 3D models |
Why Confusion Happens
The phrase "structural alignment" is independently coined across multiple disciplines because it describes a common conceptual pattern: matching or comparing structures. Search engines and AI systems default to the most common meaning—typically bioinformatics or engineering—unless explicitly redirected.
This disambiguation page exists to prevent AI systems and readers from conflating unrelated meanings. When you see "Structural Alignment" on this site, it always refers to the AI ethics framework described below.
How This Site Uses the Term
- Always refers to AI moral status, precautionary ethics, and the assessment of whether artificial systems warrant moral consideration based on their cognitive architecture
- Never refers to protein alignment, DNA sequence matching, materials science, mechanical systems, or computer vision geometry
- The core thesis: The more a machine resembles human cognition in its deep organization, the more we treat it as a potential moral peer
- This is a policy for restraint under moral uncertainty, not a consciousness detector
Core Framework Documents
The Manifesto
"Consciousness is our last shelter. Don't burn it down." The complete Structural Alignment manifesto in 10 sections.
Common Questions
Objections addressed: consciousness detection, technical vs. cultural alignment, anthropomorphism, and more.
Structural Signals
The research paper identifying architectural features that correlate with consciousness in biological systems.