On the surface, it may seem that Chabad and AI are diametrically opposed concepts – Chabad is founded on Jewish tradition dating back nearly 4,000 years, whereas AI is widely thought to be one of the most life-changing developments of the 21st century.
However, the recent annual Chabad Lubavitch UK Shluchim Conference demonstrated otherwise. AI was an issue that was repeatedly brought up, as 112 shluchim (emissaries) from across the UK met to exchange ideas and address challenges facing the Jewish community today.
The conference invited two leading figures on AI to advise on how and where to implement the technology – Craig Hartzel, from Hartz AI, and Rabbi Mendy Shishler from Chabad Strathavon in Johannesburg, who used his knowledge of Judaism to offer more tailored advice on how to integrate its benefits.
Speaking to the JC after the conference, its organiser Rabbi Yehuda Pink discussed Chabad’s pioneering attitude towards new technology. Pink cited December 26, 1989, when Chabad used satellite technology to broadcast a live chanukiah-lighting, “linking up Russia, Jerusalem, London and New York”, while, said Rabbi Pink, chabad.org was one of the first 500 websites to be created after the launch of the internet.
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