The Anatomy of Alignment: Decomposing Preference Optimization by Steering Sparse Features

Abstract: Aligning LLMs is critical for their usability and safety. However, the prevailing approach of Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) induces diffuse, opaque parameter changes, making it difficult to discern what the model has internalized. Hence, we introduce Feature Steering with Reinforcement Learning (FSRL), a transparent alignment framework that trains a lightweight adapter to steer behavior by modulating interpretable features from a Sparse Autoencoder (SAE). First, we demonstrate that FSRL is an effective method for preference optimization and is comparable with current RLHF methods. We then perform mechanistic analysis on the trained adapter, and find that its policy systematically promotes style features over explicit alignment concepts, suggesting that the preference optimization process rewards stylistic presentation as a proxy for quality. Ultimately, we hope that FSRL provides a tool for both interpretable model control and diagnosing the internal mechanisms of alignment.