Josh Franklin, a leading rabbi in New York, presented a sermon entirely generated by artificial intelligence to his congregation (AI). The rabbi authored the whole speech using ChatGPT, a free tool open to anybody with an internet connection.
After reading the AI-written essay, Rabbi Franklin challenged his audience to guess who wrote the sermon. In response, the congregation determined that Lord Rabbi Sacks was the author.
Rabbi Franklin is said to be concerned about the advancement of artificial intelligence. He expressed concern about future improvements, the loss of jobs due to AI, and the inability to determine where material comes from.
Rabbi Franklin said that AI would not take away his job anytime soon, but Zippia claims that AI has the ability to remove hundreds of millions of jobs. According to the career guidance website, 375 million jobs will be rendered obsolete over the next ten years, and half of all organisations now use AI in some form.
The Rabbi was certain that, despite the well-written piece, he would not be replaced by AI since such technology would require “Nefesh,” or soul. Although technology can replicate emotions and produce in-depth studies of human relationships, it lacks soul and cannot feel.
The Rabbi’s claim that AIs lack “Nefesh” is an issue of Talmudic debate. According to Rabbi Gershon Winkler, if golems—clay humanoids created by Jews to defend themselves—can be considered Jewish, then maybe one day a robot will as well. Because a robot has a Jewish soul, it is considered Jewish.
Only time will tell what AI will become, according to the report. Perhaps AI will one day join in prayers as a recognised Jew. AI might eventually replace rabbits.
