Ancient Wisdom in the Age of AI: Lessons from Sara Wolkenfeld

In this episode, Sara Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, joins Andrew to explore how ancient Jewish wisdom can guide our relationship with emerging technologies like AI.

Drawing from traditional texts and her experience making Jewish wisdom accessible through digital tools, Sara offers insights on maintaining our humanity while embracing technological progress.

Key Takeaways:

• Jewish tradition distinguishes between assigned labor (Avodah, עֲבוֹדָה) and creative labor (Melechah, מְלָאכָה), offering a framework for deciding which tasks to delegate to AI and which to preserve for human hands and minds
• Instead of asking if AI can do a task better, we should ask: "How do we want to spend our time?" and aim to free ourselves up for work that aligns with our deeper purpose
• Clear organizational values and mission statements are essential for making ethical decisions about which technologies to adopt and how to implement them
• Meaningful work doesn't always feel comfortable or easy – challenge and even occasional struggle can be part of what makes work meaningful

About Sara Wolkenfeld:

Sara Wolkenfeld is the Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, an online database and interface for Jewish texts. She is a member of Class Six of the Wexner Field Fellowship, a rabbinic alumna of the David Hartman Center at the Hartman Institute of North America, and serves as Scholar-in-Residence at Ohev Sholom Congregation in Washington, DC. Her current research and writing focus on the intersection between Jewish ethics and advancements in technology. Sara and her husband, David, live in Washington, DC with their five children.

Resources Mentioned:

• Sefaria: Online platform making Jewish texts accessible (www.sefaria.org)
• Sara Wolkenfeld's article in The Atlantic: Work, Labor, and Artificial Intelligence in Jewish Texts
• Sara's article in Religious Dispatches: How An Ancient Story of Renegade Rabbis Can Help Us Navigate ChatGPT
• Ohev Sholom Congregation in Washington, DC: www.ohevdc.org