More than a dozen ultra-Orthodox Skver Hasidic rabbis released a letter on Thursday, forbidding the use of open artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and other similar AI apps. They viewed these technologies as a “trap for all of us, young and old” and warned against the potential for “abominations, heresy, and heathenry without limits.” As such, the rabbis declared that “the use of AI is prohibited in any form, even using a telephone.”
The Skver Hasidic sect was initially based in Eastern Europe, while it is now located in New Square, an exclusively Hasidic town near New York. Its leaders have also started to consider how traditional Torah values may connect with rising AI technology. Rabbi Joshua Franklin famously gave a sermon composed by ChatGPT to his congregation, but asserted that AI can never replace the values of real human empathy.
Rebbe.IO is a website launched in 2021. It uses AI to answer questions about Halacha, or Jewish law. It claims to be powered by the most advanced public AI technology, providing instant access to vast amounts of Torah scriptures and teachings. Despite this, the website advised that its AI Rabbi may not always provide the correct answer and encourage people to consult human rabbis for an accurate answer.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, a former Chief Rabbi, stressed the importance of our technological systems not exemplifying idolatry. He referenced Psalms 115:4-8 and encouraged an insistence on the sanctity of human life, before ultimately warning against the dual dangers of radical Islamists and super-intelligent computers of the 21st century.
OpenAI is a company based in San Francisco that focuses on artificial intelligence research. It employs some of the foremost experts in the industry, such as investment banker Sam Altman and internet celebrity Hilary Mason. Their aim is to develop useful AI product advances to benefit society – this has been complimented by their research in robotics, computer vision and natural language processing. Last year they recruited one of the world’s top AI researchers, Yoshua Bengio, to lead their new Montreal lab alongside other experienced researchers.
