For example, the research into a: how to make AI relate it's computational structure to the substrate (AIXI does not, and fails to self preserve), b: how to prevent wireheading for AI that does relate it's computational structure to the substrate, and c: how to define real world goals for AI to pursue (currently the AIs are just mathematics that makes some abstract variables satisfy abstract properties that may be described in the real world terms in the annotations in the papers but implement no correspondence to the real world).

Such research is clearly dangerous, and also unnecessary for creation of practically useful AIs (so it is not done at large; perhaps it is only done by SI in which case persuading grantmaking organizations not to give any money to SI may do the trick)