Skver Beis Din Bans Open AI Tools: ‘Like Internet Without Filters, Open To All Abominations And Heresy”

NEW  YORK (VINnews) — More than a dozen rabbis from the Skver Hassidic sect, including the sons of the current rebbe, released a letter Thursday banning the use of  Open AI tools including ChatGPT and other similar AI apps.

“We must warn about the obstacle and the terrible danger of the new service ‘OpenAI’ and the like,” the letter opened, stressing that it can be used via “computers, telephone with SMS and even simple phones.” The letter warned that although not everyone has yet recognized the danger, the technology poses “a trap for all of us, young and old.”

The letter continued, stating that: “We are declaring that this is like internet without a filter, and is open to all abominations, heresy, and heathenry without limits, and brings to all the prohibitions which are considered, ‘You shall not stray after your heart and after your eyes,’ and it is obvious that it is considered a severe offense.”

Therefore, the letter concludes, “The use of AI is prohibited in any form, even using a telephone.”

The Skver Hassidic sect, originally from Eastern Europe, is now based in New Square, a small Hassidic town northwest of New York City. The community is led by Rabbi David Twersky and is considered to be more conservative and secluded even by Hassidic standards.