Judaism and AI Design Ethics part 2

by R. Gil Student

In the first part of this essay, we saw that Judaism has long wrestled with the ethics of publishing and the dangers of unreliable or misleading content. The halakhic tradition demands accuracy, rejects heresy and insists that those who release information bear responsibility for its impact. Just as authors and publishers were accountable for what they printed, so too AI builders must ensure that their systems do not spread falsehood or undermine faith. We also noted that Jewish history offers two lenses—policy and consumer responsibility. Lacking political power, Jewish communities often relied on their own creative tools to safeguard Torah values. In this second part, we turn to those communal strategies and ask what lessons they provide for the age of artificial intelligence.

IV. Consumer Driven Control

Jewish communal leadership could never control the printing presses because the Jewish printers did not necessarily listen to authorities and also a Jewish author could always go to a Christian printing press who did not follow Jewish leaders. Indeed, many mainstream Jewish authors used Christian printers for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, the lack of control offered Jewish booksellers an opportunity. Since people could buy forbidden books elsewhere, Jewish merchants were also technically allowed to sell the books to people outside our community. While people struggled through poverty and hunger, this still was frowned upon, even if not outright forbidden (Rema, Yoreh De’ah 139:15; see also She’arim Ha-Metzuyanim Ba-Halakhah 167:7). However, the lack of regulatory power risked communal chaos and demanded another solution.

Due to this inability to control the producers, Jewish leadership turned to consumers. They developed the system of haskamos, rabbinic approbations appended to books. A haskamah certifies that a book contains no heresy, inaccurate or otherwise harmful content. In this way, rabbinic authorities guide the community not by controlling what is printed but by influencing what is purchased and read.

This model parallels contemporary kosher certification. Few Jews can inspect a food factory, but they can look for a trusted hechsher, certification symbol. Similarly, consumers cannot control printing presses, but they can rely on rabbinic approbations. This represents a consumer-driven model of quality assurance: if you cannot regulate the system directly, you can still guide its use.

An important example of this approach appears in the responsa of Rav Moshe Isserles (Rema; no. 11). In sixteenth-century Venice, two competing editions of the Mishneh Torah appeared, one legitimate and one that copied it. The publishers were non-Jews, so they would not heed rabbinic rulings. How could the Jewish community respond?

The Rema ruled that Jews in Poland may purchase only the proper edition. Since he could not control the publishers directly, he appealed to consumers. If Jews cannot enforce ethical production, they can voluntarily choose ethical consumption. This strategy of appealing to consumer behavior was a way of enforcing Jewish ethical standards even without regulatory power. Even if it does not stop the publisher, it creates a communal ethical standard.

This approach can also apply to AI ethics. Builders may not always be persuaded by ethical arguments but consumers can still insist on using only those systems that meet traditional standards as determined by leading ethicists or ethical certification agencies. Market behavior, guided by conscience and communal momentum, can shape outcomes even in environments dominated by non-ethical actors.

V. Toward a “Kosher AI” Model

These precedents point toward a model for AI that is faithful to Torah values. On the builder’s side, responsibilities are clear:

1) Ensure accuracy, preventing harm from false or misleading statements.

2) Filter out content reflecting dangerous worldviews.

3) Follow ethical guidelines that meet traditional values.

But just as importantly, the community must act as ethical consumers. Within the observant Jewish community, just as we buy food only with kosher certification, we should demand AI systems that are “kosher-certified” to align with traditional Jewish values. Similarly, traditionalist communities throughout the country can band together and through market force demand ethically certified AI that conforms to traditional values.

This shifts part of the responsibility from builders to users. Builders are obligated to the ethical demands of truth and responsibility, but users must demand value-driven systems. If regulators fail to curb AI excesses, consumers must demand a higher level of responsibility. Even if regulators manage to impose ethical standards, they will be minimal standards and religious communities will want stronger controls that they will achieve through consumer choice.

Realistically, we cannot expect a “Kosher AI” for Amazon recommendations. But we can demand the option of a kosher version of ChatGPT and we can expect a decision-model for self-driving cars that respects traditional values.

VI. Conclusion: Lessons from the Past for the Digital Age

The Jewish tradition provides a rich precedent for thinking about methods to ensure AI ethics. Just as the printing press forced communities to grapple with the dangers of heresy and confusion, AI raises similar risks in a new technological context. Rav Moshe Feinstein taught that confusion is itself dangerous. The Rema taught that when power is limited, consumer behavior can enforce ethical standards. And generations of rabbis used haskamos and kosher certification to guide the faithful toward safe and reliable works.

The lesson is twofold. Builders of AI are ethically obligated to ensure accuracy and responsibility, never releasing a system that endangers truth or allows impropriety. But consumers, too, bear responsibility. They must demand ethically-certified AI, systems aligned with their values and worldviews.

In the digital age, the community cannot be passive. Just as we check the hechsher on our food, we must check the certification on our information. AI is, or at least will be, too powerful and too pervasive to leave unexamined. We currently have the opportunity to ensure ethical building of AI systems. We must use our combined consumer power to ensure that our needs are met.