Many new technologies have brought with them the fear that work would become irrelevant. Though each time this has proved untrue, we must prepare (theologically and psychologically) for the possibility that it will one day be the case. As AI raises these concerns again, we must ask several questions: Is there a moral problem with developing or utilizing technologies that may put many out of work? If they are out of work, how must we care for them? And if work becomes all but irrelevant, how can we live meaningful lives?
| Rabbi Jonathan Ziring is a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivat Migdal HaTorah in Modiin. He received semichah from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University. He also received an MA in Jewish Philosophy from Bernard Revel Graduate School and a BA from the Honors Program at the Yeshiva College of Yeshiva University and studied for years at Yeshivat Har Etzion. Rabbi Ziring previously served as Sgan Rosh Kollel of the Yeshiva University Torah miTzion Beit Midrash Zichron Dov and worked at the Beit Avraham Yosef of Toronto (BAYT). He is the author of the recently released Torah in a Connected World: A Halakhic Perspective on Communication Technology and Social Media from Maggid Press. |
Dr. Lisa K. Simon is the Chief Economist at Revelio Labs, where she leads the Economics Team. She analyzes Revelio Labs’s treasure trove of labor market data, uncovers insights about workforce trends, and helps clients leverage workforce data to their advantage. Previously, she was a researcher at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was applying causal inference methods using machine learning to questions in labor and education economics. Her research has focused on the impact of structural change on labor markets, the future of work, and how individuals can adapt to changing labor markets. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Munich in Germany and worked at the ifo Institute – Germany’s top economic policy and research institute – as well as the OECD and the European Parliament.
