Is Artificial Intelligence Kosher?

Dear Jew in the City,

With the recent viral deepfake video of Jewish celebrities calling out Kanye, I got to wondering how Judaism views AI. There certainly seem to be ethical issues with it. What parts are kosher? What goes too far?

Sincerely,

Brian

Dear Brian,

Thanks for your question. Please note that I am not in a position to rule as a matter of law for you (ask your own rabbi!), but I can share my personal opinion. That being said, while I am of two minds on many issues, this is one of the easier questions for me! But before I address AI, let me give you some background information.

A number of years ago, a colleague and I did a point/counterpoint on the ubiquity of smartphones; I took “pro” and she took “con.” (Here’s my half of the dialogue.)

What’s not to like about smartphones? I carry in my pocket access to all the world’s knowledge, as well as a camera, a photo album, a TV, a GPS, my entire music collection, books, a pedometer, and more – not to mention a phone!

The reality is that some people will object to any new technology. People complained when TV replaced radio as the centerpiece of American living rooms. The first people to buy cars were laughed at and told, “Get a horse!” Moveable type was opposed because the lower classes would be able to become literate. And no joke, Socrates – as recounted by his student Plato – objected to this newfangled thing called writing! (His objection was that students wouldn’t use their memories, but rather would rely on books.)

Hearing my thoughts this far, you might think I’m a fan of AI, or at least a defender. Nope. I hate and fear it. You know why? Because each of us can only go so far in our comfort zones and, as an alter kocker, I’ve reached my limit. I’m just waiting for the AI singularity, which is the point at which artificial intelligence exceeds human intelligence. But I also don’t support banning AI or hobbling its development because if we do that, Russia and China will surpass us in the technology and we’ll have no defense against it. So we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t.

Having heard my dire predictions of doom and gloom, you now may be surprised to hear that I think AI is inherently permitted. It’s just a tool, like fire, the wheel, writing, movable type, cars, airplanes, and smartphones. And tools can be used for good or evil. A hammer can be used to build a house or it can be used to threaten violence. AI is no different. But there’s one use of AI that I think is fundamentally prohibited, and it’s specifically the one you mention.

The Torah tells us to distance ourselves from false matters (Exodus 23:7). One of the Ten Commandments is not to falsely accuse others (Exodus 20:16). Doing so was potentially a capital offense (Deuteronomy 19:16-21). The Talmud tells us that the seal of God is truth (Shabbos 55a).

Honesty is a really important Torah value, so using AI to misrepresent what others said or did is just plain wrong.

You might think that the video is not problematic because “everyone knows it’s AI,” but how would you feel if someone made pictures or video of you or a family member in a compromising situation? Would you feel better if “everyone knew it was AI”?

Koheles 1:9 tells us that there’s nothing new under the sun. AI is just the same old story with a new invention. This particular invention, however, carries with it a tremendous potential for falsifying, and that’s just not okay. But AI has lots of other, potentially beneficial uses. At least until the robot uprising.

One last note: Don’t get your Torah – and especially answers to your questions about Jewish law – from AI. I’ve seen AI give some laughably inaccurate answers to simple math equations and questions about grammar. If you ask AI questions about Shabbos or keeping kosher, an inaccurate answer may not be as laughable.

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, JITC Educational Correspondent

Educational Correspondent
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