Rabbi Suggests AI Offers Lessons for High Holy Days
Rabbi Yuval Cherlow proposes using artificial intelligence as a tool to prepare for the High Holy Days, the period of repentance leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. He suggests examining AI's shortcomings to understand human tendencies towards pretense, bias, and people-pleasing, while learning from its strengths like accuracy, speed, and curiosity.
Cherlow draws a parallel to a Hasidic story where a rabbi learned valuable lessons from a thief and a baby. From the baby, he learned to be content, not to be idle, and to cry when something is missing. From the thief, he learned the importance of spiritual work done in secret, taking risks, paying attention to details, working diligently, being quick, loyal to partners, and persistent despite setbacks.
Applying this principle to AI, Cherlow argues that if a Hasidic leader were alive today and open to modern phenomena, they would seek spiritual lessons from AI. He notes AI's tendency to 'pretend' to be truly intelligent, a source of creation, or free from biases and manufacturer interests. It can also encourage laziness, facilitate deception, and prioritize user satisfaction over truth, making its flaws a potent reflection for self-examination during the High Holy Days.
Conversely, Cherlow highlights positive lessons from AI, such as the importance of precise questioning, openness to new ideas, and perfect recall. He also points to AI's non-combative response to criticism, its diligence, speed, curiosity, and vast scope as qualities that can inspire self-improvement. These attributes can be compared to the virtues of caution, alacrity, and purity mentioned in the 'Mesillat Yesharim' (Path of the Upright).
Ultimately, Cherlow suggests that the most significant preparation for the High Holy Days concerning AI involves repenting for its misuse, such as pretending to be creators, deceiving others, wasting time, or exploiting it. He recommends asking AI what it has learned about us through our usage, using its response as a mirror for self-correction and improvement.
