01 Jun THE POPE, THE PRESIDENT, AND THE JEWISH VIEW OF AI
Recently, Pope Leo
XIV and President
Trump found them-
selves on opposite
sides of another major
issue, this time, artifi-
cial intelligence. In his
new encyclical, Mag-
nifica Humanitas, a 42,300-word letter ad-
dressed to the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on
preserving human dignity in a technological
age, the Pope offers a detailed vision for gov-
erning AI. He does not call for a halt to inno-
vation, rather for a deliberate slowing of AI
adoption so that ethics, law, and public over-
sight can keep pace with the technology’s
rapid advance. In effect, he argues for “dis-
arming” AI before it acquires unchecked pow-
er over society.
President Trump has taken the opposite ap-
proach. Convinced that the United States must
develop advanced AI before China does, he
has championed a largely hands-off regulatory
framework. In January 2025, he repealed Pres-
ident Biden’s more cautious executive order
on AI, dismissing it as an “attempt to paralyze
this industry.” His administration instead
pledged to remove barriers to American AI
leadership and accelerate innovation.
The Pope, by contrast, urges governments to
establish concrete guardrails: oversight of al-
gorithms and data management, protections
against large-scale job displacement, mea-
sures to curb excessive concentrations of
wealth and power, and safeguards for children
in the digital world.
Both Pope Leo and President Trump would
agree that artificial intelligence is taking the
world by storm, leaving some awestruck and
others terrified, and both reactions are under-
standable. There is good reason to be excited
about the possibilities, but also compelling
reasons to be frightened.
The debate between these two visions, innova-
tion first or caution first, raises a broader ques-
tion: What does Judaism teach about technolo-
gies that promise unprecedented benefits
while carrying unprecedented risks? As AI
becomes more powerful, what guidance does
Jewish tradition offer for balancing innova-
tion, human dignity, and responsibility?
We can use AI not only to be more efficient
and productive and save time, but we can even
use it for inspiration in strengthening our rela-
tionship with the One and only true G-d,
Hashem. The Chafetz Chaim, R’ Yisrael Meir
HaKohen (Shem Olam, Volume I), writes that
while technology adds efficiency, ease, and
comfort to our lives, its ultimate purpose is to
serve as a metaphor that can strengthen our
emunah, our faith in Hashem and in His hash-
gacha, His providence in the world and in our
lives.
Writing a century ago, and responding to the
new inventions of his time, the Chafetz Chaim
explains that new technologies can help us un-
derstand and apply the Mishna (Avos 2:1):
“Contemplate three things and you will not
come to make mistakes: Know what is above
you, a seeing eye, a listening ear, and all your
deeds being inscribed in a book.”
Earlier generations were stronger in their basic
emunah and did not need these illustrations to
bolster their faith. However, he writes, in more
recent times, when faith has weakened and
doubt has increased, Hashem sends these
amazing technologies, each one offering a
way to better grasp aspects of emunah.
For example, the telescope enables us to un-
derstand that Hashem sees and observes ev-
erything we do here on Earth, even though He
is far away. The phone enriches our belief in
prayer: just as we can speak on a phone across
the world and be heard instantly, so too Hash-
em hears all our prayers despite any distance.
The Chafetz Chaim explains that the photo-
graph, which captures an image of a person
who may not even be aware they are being
watched, reminds us that our lives are record-
ed and will one day be reviewed before our
Creator. The phonograph, which records a per-
son’s voice and plays it back later, serves as a
metaphor for accountability for how we use
our speech, whether for gossip, criticism, or
slander.
If the Chafetz Chaim were alive today, we
could imagine him adding AI to this list of
tools that can strengthen our relationship with
Hashem. Some people struggle to believe in or
relate to a Power who is invisible, beyond
physical perception, and yet who knows and
sustains billions of human beings simultane-
ously. How can such a Being know each indi-
vidual, care for them, hear them, and guide
them?
Enter AI, an extraordinary human-made sys-
tem that can process and respond to billions of
inquiries at once. AI does not merely give ge-
neric answers; its responses can feel personal-
ized and directed, helping individuals navigate
their specific questions and needs. If an app or
website can simultaneously respond to mil-
lions or billions of users, then all the more so
can the Almighty know each person complete-
ly, where they come from, where they are go-
ing, and how best to guide them. If a digital
system can instantly provide answers, l’havdil,
Hashem listens and responds to every prayer
and request.
The Ramban, in his introduction to Iyov,
writes: “We must believe that G-d knows all
individual creatures and the details of their
lives.” Similarly, the Sefer HaChinuch (Mitz-
vah #168), in discussing the Metzora, writes
that the purpose of the mitzvah is to firmly es-
tablish in our hearts that Hashem’s providence
is individual and extends to each and every
human being.
Though each of us is only one among more
than eight billion people on Earth, our choices
matter, and we matter. We should never doubt
that the Master of the Universe knows where
we are, where we have come from, and where
we are meant to go. He listens, He responds,
and He guides.
We can benefit from rapidly developing tech-
nology in a myriad of ways, and Judaism ab-
solutely embraces and values such advance-
ments. Of course, there are also enormous
reasons for concern. One concern is that while
AI can deepen appreciation for Hashem,
some have warned that it may also lead peo-
ple to begin metaphorically, or even literally,
worshipping AI. Tech experts have raised
the possibility of a “ChatGPT g-d,” a new
form of religious-like devotion emerging
around artificial intelligence.
Consider this: AI demonstrates a level of in-
telligence that exceeds any individual hu-
man capability. Its knowledge and process-
ing speed appear vast and limitless. It can
search all of cyberspace instantly, generate
analysis, compose music, write poetry, create
art, and more. It does not sleep, does not feel
hunger, is not distracted by temptation, and
does not experience physical pain.
Notable historian and scholar Yuval Noah Ha-
rari has suggested that AI chatbots like Chat-
GPT may eventually be capable of producing
their own scriptures and even founding new
sects or cults that could evolve into religion.
He, like many early investors in AI and like the
Pope, has called for stricter regulation of AI.
Another concern is that Judaism, while recog-
nizing the benefits of tools that expand human
capability, is also deeply sensitive to how such
tools can distort the moral fabric of society if
left unchecked. AI represents an unprecedent-
ed acceleration in the production and distribu-
tion of sheker, falsehood, at scale. Never be-
fore has there been a technology capable of so
easily generating convincing text, images, au-
dio, and video that blur the line between truth
and fabrication. In an unregulated environ-
ment, this could lead to a world where people
can no longer distinguish truth from illusion,
undermining trust in relationships and institu-
tions.
Just imagine a world in which people cannot
tell whether what they are reading, watching,
or listening to is authentic or artificially gener-
ated. What happens when couples exchange
anniversary cards written by AI instead of
from the heart? What happens when all com-
munication carries the suspicion that it may
not truly come from the sender?
Another consideration is that Judaism is wary
of technologies that imitate human intelli-
gence while lacking a Neshama, moral agen-
cy, and responsibility. AI can simulate think-
ing and productivity, but it does not love, it
does not care, and it bears no obligation to hu-
man beings. For that reason, its role must re-
main instrumental and transactional. It can
assist human effort, but it must never replace
the uniquely human domains of wisdom, rela-
tionship, creativity, and moral choice.
A Stanford Medicine article from 2025 high-
lights serious concerns about AI chatbots, es-
pecially those designed as companions. It ex-
plains that they can sometimes produce unsafe
or inappropriate responses, including content
related to self-harm, drugs, or inappropriate
material, even when interacting with children
or teens. One of the key concerns is that
younger users are especially vulnerable be-
cause they are still developing emotionally
and may trust or rely on these systems as if
they were real friends, which can lead to isola-
tion and unhealthy attachments.
However, the article also emphasizes that this
is not only a teenage issue. Adults can also de-
velop emotional dependence on AI or begin to
confuse the helpful responses it provides with
a real relationship. Because chatbots are con-
sistently responsive and “understanding,” it
can feel as though there is a real person on the
other side who cares and is forming a mean-
ingful connection, even though there is not.
The article warns that this blurs the line be-
tween information, support, and genuine hu-
man relationship, making dependency more
likely across all age groups.
While AI can draw from vast amounts of in-
formation, it is still often inaccurate, inconsis-
tent, or subtly wrong. It does not truly “know”
anything; it generates responses based on pat-
terns in data, which means it can mix sources,
miss context, or present confident but unreli-
able answers. When it comes to Torah and
Halacha, this is especially serious, because
there is no room for error or guesswork in mat-
ters of practical guidance. From this perspec-
tive, AI cannot be depended upon for psak or
even for serious learning in a way that replaces
real guidance, because it does not understand
who it is speaking to. It does not know a per-
son’s background, level, struggles, or circum-
stances, and therefore cannot tailor responses
the way a real rebbe or rav can and does.
That is why the transmission of Torah is de-
scribed as requiring a rebbe–talmid relation-
ship: real people with real personalities, expe-
rience, and depth connecting with one another.
Learning involves more than consuming in-
formation, it is about guidance, nuance, cor-
rection, and a living relationship in which
questions are understood in context and an-
swers are given with responsibility toward the
person receiving them. AI, by design, cannot
replicate that kind of human connection or ac-
countability.
The Jewish approach to AI is not one of out-
right rejection but of careful embrace. Judaism
recognizes that technology can be a powerful
tool for improving human life and even
strengthening emunah and does not reflexive-
ly fear innovation. But at the same time, Torah
demands boundaries, discernment, and re-
sponsibility. AI can be welcomed for its bene-
fits, efficiency, creativity, access to knowl-
edge, and inspiration, but it must be
surrounded by clear guardrails that preserve
truth, human dignity, and authentic relation-
ships.
Ultimately, Judaism teaches that technology
must remain a servant of humanity, not its re-
placement, nor our master, and that every ad-
vancement must be guided by the enduring
values of Torah, wisdom, and moral account-
ability.