We are trying to navigate a new world of artificial intelligence, especially its impact on individuals and society. But while the technical strides (or even leaps) forward in the world of AI continue to advance, the concerns it raises are deeply human: Will people’s jobs, or even their whole career field become irrelevant? With easy access to information and generative AI, will people still value deep thought and hard work? As large language models (LLMs), such as Claude and ChatGPT, and AI-generated videos become more prevalent, will we be able to distinguish reality from an AI-generated fiction?
Over the last few months, I’ve been teaching and reflecting on how AI is being deployed. I’ve also heard strong feelings about how it’s being used and whether it should be avoided. There’s a generational and professional difference in how AI is perceived: those in the STEM fields are finding AI to be an incredible tool for things like medical diagnoses and coding, while those in the humanities and creative fields are pushing hard against using it for writing or teaching purposes. The question is not as simple as whether AI is good or bad, or even whether AI should be used. Instead, we need to think about how and when it’s appropriate to utilize AI, especially if we want to make sure we keep our humanity.
Rather than providing specific guidelines and policies that become irrelevant and outdated within months (if not weeks), perhaps it may be better to provide a simple heuristic we can use to begin reflecting on its use. Just as Hillel taught us to “strive to be human” (Pirkei Avot 2:5) to guide our behavior, we also can draw on his summary of the Torah: “What is hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Torah. Now go and study” (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 31a). This is a powerful framework because it allows us to have a “gut-check” on how we act. It won’t provide particular answers, but it can provide a baseline to study the nuances, rules, policies, and specific recommendations of AI use.
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