A Brave New World: AI, Torah, and Human Responsibility (S3, E33)

Artificial intelligence is no longer something “out there” in the future. It is already shaping how we write, learn, search, diagnose, decide, and even think.In this episode of Judaism in the 21st Century, Rabbi Daniel Cohen turns the tables and interviews Dr. Steven Labkoff about one of today’s most urgent ethical frontiers: AI. What exactly is artificial intelligence? How is it different from machine learning or algorithms? And what happens when AI begins helping us write sermons, synthesize ideas, make medical judgments, or shape religious and moral decisions?Together, they explore the Jewish lens on questions of authorship, authenticity, geneivat da’at, human responsibility, and the danger of outsourcing moral judgment. AI may be able to organize knowledge, find patterns, and help us communicate more clearly. But Judaism reminds us that free choice, conscience, accountability, and the human soul cannot be delegated to a machine.This conversation does not offer all the answers. But it raises the right questions for a brave new world.