04 Nov JUDAISM AND AI DESIGN ETHICS PART 2

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.