18Forty Podcast Moshe Koppel: Artificial Intelligence and Torah [Prayer & Humanity 3/5]
Jun 5, 2023
Moshe Koppel, a computer scientist and Talmud scholar at Bar-Ilan University, explores the fascinating intersection of artificial intelligence and Torah study. He discusses how AI technologies like optical character recognition are transforming access to rabbinic texts and enhancing comprehension. The conversation raises intriguing questions about AI's potential role in answering halachic inquiries and its impact on Shabbos observance. Koppel emphasizes the balance between technological advancement and the essential human qualities needed to enrich religious practice and understanding.
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Episode notes
Forgetting Enables Conceptual Thought
- Moshe Koppel and David Beshevkin warn that perfect recall hinders conceptual thinking and analogy formation.
- They argue forgetting enables abstraction, which is central to human creativity and Torah insight.
Personal Backlash From Policy Work
- Koppel recounts being publicly labeled and vilified over Kohelet's policy papers used in Israeli judicial reform.
- He describes personal harassment but emphasizes reasoned policy debate over demonization.
AI Makes Old Texts Searchable
- AI can massively improve accessibility of rabbinic texts through OCR, vocalization, and punctuation.
- Koppel's lab Dicta already achieves high OCR accuracy even on 19th-century Rashi fonts.
