Tetzaveh 5786: Tools of the Trade

GOOD MORNING! This week I watched a presentation delivered by two Orthodox rabbis to a devout audience on the dangers of AI. The impetus for this communal warning was that, in their words, the leading rabbinic authorities of our generation have been quite vociferous about the incredible dangers to us and our children of using the different large language generative AI models.

They pointed out some of the most glaring flaws of AI generative models; people stop using their brains, a lot of the information is either mostly incorrect or an absolute AI hallucination, people have – UNBELIEVABLY – begun to take guidance and life-altering advice from these AI models, some individuals with serious mental health issues have presented their severe personal issues and biases and received validation (which has tragically led to many suicides and even murder), people completely delude themselves that they have built a “relationship” with their AI model – catapulting themselves into an alternate reality of some real connection, etc.

The list is practically endless regarding the real and present dangers posed to society by the continued irresponsible use of the various AI models. Last July there was an incident in which an AI model known as Grok was asked for advice as to how to break into a specific attorney’s home and harm him physically. Grok responded with a step-by-step plan for committing the crime, including details as to when the victim would most likely be asleep. There was a huge public outcry about the lack of “guardrails” on the Grok AI model – and the potential victim threatened legal action.

But I feel that the focus on the dangers of AI is hopelessly misplaced. There is a real problem when you conflate the issues of using a potentially dangerous tool with the actual dangers associated with flawed human behavior using those tools. The answer cannot simply be a categorical condemnation of the tool.

One of the curious advantages of getting older is that you have some perspective on history. About thirty-five years ago, as a young school administrator, I attended a conference of what was, at that time, the largest gathering of Jewish educational institutions. There were hundreds of schools represented, and many of the leading rabbinic authorities of the time were in attendance to provide guidance and to discuss the biggest issues of the day. In those days, the burning issue was how to deal with the onslaught known as the World Wide Web.

Truth be told, there were great dangers connected to the internet; it catered to mankind’s basest desires and suddenly pornography became easily accessible in one’s home. Online chatrooms inevitably led to the destruction of many families when spouses surreptitiously looked for online relationships, which often turned into physical ones. Countless naive children began dangerous relationships with bad actors, many of which left them scarred for life.

Thus, it became the generally accepted policy in the religious community that usage of the internet was absolutely forbidden in one’s home (though some exceptions were later made for those who needed it as part of their job). Likewise, it was considered taboo to have a website or online presence. It was as if the leaders of that time felt they could somehow prevent the internet from taking hold over their lives.

But it was a gargantuan mistake. The real issue was that the leaders had no concept of what the internet was or how it would come to take over the world. Instead of telling adherents looking for direction to stay away (which never works – today there is hardly a religious organization without a robust online presence) they should have focused their energies on studying to try and understand it, predict where it was heading, and come up with solutions in how to safely use it; knowing that the solutions are never going to be perfect, but trusting that they’ll be good enough.

When automobiles first became popular many rabbinic authorities discouraged members of their religious communities from owning them, fearing they would be used to desecrate the holy Shabbat and more easily enable outright violation of other Torah laws. But as we have seen, outright forbidding it by placing virtual walls simply does not work.

Historically, most technological advances posed significant dangers at the outset. For example, in the first twenty years that commercial air travel became accessible (in the 1920’s and 30’s) fatal accidents in air travel averaged about one per 22,000 boardings. By the end of the 20th century that number declined to one per 2,700,000 boardings and today it is about one per 14,000,000 boardings. Likewise, one of the greatest catalysts for technological advances, when energy was first harnessed for power propulsion – the steam engine – was famously unsafe and boiler explosions were common. In retrospect, banning either of them would have been unwise.

But there is a much deeper reason to promote safe usage of technology rather than outright prohibition.

When Europeans first came to the Americas between 1492-1700 the indigenous populations declined by roughly 85-90%. The vast majority of this decline was not due to violence or food disruption (though they were also factors). The overwhelming reason was that the native populations had no herd immunity to the European illnesses brought to the new world: smallpox, influenza, measles, tuberculosis, etc. It killed almost all of them; the indigenous population estimates pre-European arrival were about 60 million and it dropped to about 5 million within only a couple of centuries.

This is why we must carefully consider and devise solutions to intelligently “vaccinate” our children, our families, and our communities, because AI models are not going away. Ignoring them or prohibiting their usage is just repeating the mistakes of the past. It simply does not work, and when unprepared people do get exposed dreadful things tend to follow. Everything that comes into this world is from the Almighty and can be used for positive growth and spiritual elevation. It is up to us to make that happen.

Of course, this week’s Torah portion has a similarly relevant message.

This week’s Torah portion discusses the exact details of the uniforms worn by the Cohanim – the priestly caste – during their service in the Tabernacle (and later the Holy Temple in Jerusalem). The typical priest wore four different clothes: shirt, pants, belt, and a special hat. The Cohen Gadol (High Priest) wore four additional items: choshen – breastplate, ephod – apron, me’il – robe, and tzitz – gold forehead plate.

The Talmud in Arachin (16a) lists eight sins for which the eight clothes of the High Priest atoned during his service in the Temple. In other words, when the Jewish people committed one of those eight sins, the High Priest’s clothing being utilized in the Holy Temple served to ameliorate their severity. For example, the tzitz was worn on the forehead and atoned for the sin of brazenness or insolence. But why would the High Priest be atoning for another person’s sin? We must atone for our own sins!

Moreover, in the Book of Esther, which is read twice on Purim (this year beginning the night of Monday, March 2nd, and continuing through the next day) we find a unique back and forth conversation between Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai. Initially she is very reticent to intercede on behalf the Jewish people. When Mordechai presses her on the urgency, she takes on a whole new persona; she becomes a tigress, immediately asking that a three-day fast be decreed (this, incredibly, abrogated that year’s Passover Seder, which meant the elimination of certain mitzvot – commandments). What prompted this 180-degree personality change?

I used to be very put off by a person in the synagogue who could not control his outgoing personality; he spent the vast majority of the service conversing with others and very little time praying. It really annoyed me until it finally dawned on me that his need to connect with others and his honest interest in their wellbeing is what made him such a critical member of our community. Whenever anyone ever needed anything, he was the first to jump in to help and he often collected and distributed vast amounts of monies anonymously to help members of the community who truly needed it. He genuinely cared for the welfare of others.

In other words, it was still not proper to spend his time in synagogue talking, but it was this exact element of his personality that helped build our community. This is what the Talmud is referring to when it talks about the sins for which the clothes of the High Priest atoned. Even the worst attributes, like insolence and brazenness, can be harnessed in the service of the Almighty. When you’re using insolence to establish yourself and highlight your personal importance, it’s absolutely wrong. When in the service of the Almighty – brazenly asking people to think about God or fulfill His commandments, it is absolutely right. That’s why the inscription on the golden forehead plate read “Holy to God.”

Queen Esther became a tigress when she internalized that she was not acting on behalf of herself, but instead on behalf of the Jewish people. Her position as queen required her to act in a justifiably brazen and assertive manner, and in the end it served to save the Jewish people.

Every powerful tool has ultimate dangers shackled to its usage. Whether it’s a gun, a car, or a chainsaw, the power for destruction is practically innate. But their innate power can also be used for good; to protect, transport, and clear areas for housing. The choice is ours; we must learn to use the tools of the time for good and teach others to do the same.

As Yann LeCun, Meta’s Chief AI Scientist, once said, “AI is stupider than your cat.” We sometimes imbue AI with personality and ascribe it feelings or other human qualities, but that is ridiculous because it cannot reason whatsoever. My son sent me a video demonstrating how inept these models really are. A person held a cup upside down and then asked Chat GPT, “I have a cup that is closed on top but open on the bottom, how do I use it to drink?” The AI answer was that the cup was only useful as a gag, and that if he wanted a drink he needed to get another cup. He showed it a picture and he got the same response. It never occurred to Chat GPT to flip the cup over. An 18-month-old child would have figured that out.

We must never forget that the power is in the technology, not the silly AI language models. For example, we used AI technology recently and uploaded my father’s book on Purim and 200 classes on Purim to AI software. It is intentionally a closed ecosystem – it only draws from the book and the classes. It doesn’t draw anything from the internet or any AI model. But it is an extremely powerful tool – you can ask it any question and it will synthesize the information and answer you – try it at askrabbizweig.com. AI is just another tool, like a knife; it is our choice how we use it.

Tetzaveh, Exodus 27:20 - 30:10

The Torah continues this week with the command to make for use in the Mishkan – the Portable Sanctuary – oil for the Menorah and clothes for the Cohanim – the Priests. It then gives instruction for the consecration of the Cohanim and the Outer Altar. The portion concludes with instructions for constructing the Incense Altar.