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Record STMT-W8FFEBALegally binding

Let us make man in our image-a Jewish ethical perspective on creating conscious robots

Let us make man in our image—a Jewish ethical perspective on creating conscious robots

Position paper Religious / canonicalGlobaladopted

This academic article examines the ethical and theological implications of creating conscious humanoid robots through the lens of Jewish philosophy and traditional texts like the Golem legend. The author analyzes Talmudic and mystical paradigms to argue that creating synthetic conscious beings in human form is deontologically prohibited. Ultimately, the paper supports calls to ban the development of sentient robots due to insurmountable ethical and epistemological concerns.

Summary and content fields are drawn from the document text and are pending editorial review.

Who issued it

SpringerIndustry
Publisher
Legal forceLegally binding
Under whose authorityReligious / canonical
Judged fromfull text

Who it governs

Researchers and academicsGeneral publicReligious community

Researchers, ethicists, and scholars interested in the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine consciousness, and Jewish theological ethics.

Sectors
Research and science · artificial intelligence researchReligion and culture · Jewish ethics and philosophy

What the document contains

What's covered

The article addresses the ethical implications of creating synthetic beings with first-order and second-order phenomenal consciousness, utilizing Jewish philosophy, Talmudic law, and the Golem legend to evaluate whether such technology is morally permissible.

What's missing

The text does not provide technical engineering guidelines, specific legal regulations for secular jurisdictions, or concrete policy frameworks for governing commercial AI deployment.

Key takeaways
  • The Golem serves as a persistent historical paradigm for discussing technologically engendered life forms.
  • Jewish thought distinguishes between orders of phenomenal consciousness, associating second-order phenomenal consciousness with a human soul.
  • The mystical Midrash of Jeremiah's Golem condemns the synthetic creation of a human-level conscious being based on theological concerns.
  • An analysis of the Talmudic Aggadah regarding Rava's Gavra indicates a categorical prohibition against making a synthetic sentient being in human form.
  • The deontological prohibition derived from rabbinic maaseh rav establishes a legally binding ethical duty to refrain from creating conscious humanoids.
Principles it states
Humanity was created in the image of God (b’tzelem Elokim), which entails the capacity to be creative.Ability and will must be unified under the guidance of pure ethics.The ethical maaseh rav establishes duties through the actions of great teachers.
Outline
· 1 Introduction
· 2 The Golem
· 3 Consciousness
· 4 Should We Create Them
  - 4.1 Jeremiah's Golem
  - 4.2 Rava's Gavra
· 5 Conclusion
Issued12 September 2023
Length15,038 words · 16 pages
FormatNot recorded
Scopeglobal

How it scores

Pending review

Each score is backed by a quote verified against the document text. Editorial review has not yet confirmed them.

Accountability

0/5

Clear responsibility for AI outcomes

screening score · 2026-10-24

Human Oversight

0/5

Humans remain in control of consequential decisions

screening score · 2026-10-24

Privacy

0/5

Protection of personal data and private life

screening score · 2026-10-24

Transparency

0/5

Openness about how AI systems work and are used

screening score · 2026-10-24

Impact Assessment

0/5

Required assessment of an AI system's risks/impacts before or during use

screening score · 2026-10-24

Topics

Physical AI Governancesupporting
artificial_consciousness golem halacha robot_ethics jewish_philosophy