Join us for this four-part course to explore what artificial intelligence is, and how we can make sense of it in today’s fast-changing world.
We will examine how Jewish thought and practice can help understand this technology and its radical effects on our world.
This is the first course of its kind at JW3, and a very exciting time to study this rapidly developing topic which is radically changing our lives.
What will you learn?
By the end of these classes, you will:
- Understand what we mean by artificial intelligence, what forms it takes today and what are its future possibilities
- Learn about the history of AI and its connection to Jewish history
- Explore how AI can discriminate and learn about real case studies
- Discover how and why Judaism and Jewish thought can particularly help us to navigate this radical technology
Who should attend?
- This course is for anyone curious about AI & tech and anyone interested in understanding our future - no prior knowledge nor tech background needed! You are welcome to join for one session, or the entire course.
Week by Week
Week 1 (26 February): What is AI? And what is Jewish thought?
This first session is an introduction and overview to AI - what it is, the different forms it can take, and some bigger ideas like superintelligence and machine learning. We’ll also consider what is ‘Jewish thought’ and how it might guide us in understanding today’s technologies.
Week 2 (5 March): A Jewish history of computing
This session will focus on the history of computing and AI from World War II onwards, especially looking at its Jewish roots. We will also explore how we can understand today’s AI culture, with its focus on artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a messianic movement.
Week 3 (12 March): Glitches and Discriminative Algorithms
Artificial intelligence isn’t just about the possible future creation of artificial general intelligence (AGI). It is also about the effects of AI and algorithms in the here and now.
In this class we explore how algorithms, like people, can discriminate. We will consider what we can learn about contemporary discrimination through glitches in algorithms.
Week 4 (19 March): Golems and other lives
Drawing on the story of the Golem, this final session will discuss how Jewish thought can help us navigate the possibility of creating ‘living’ artificial intelligence and what our ethical duties might be towards it?
Asher Kessler completed his PhD at the London School of Economics on the intellectual history of ‘Big Tech’. His research focuses specifically upon Facebook/Meta, examining how high-level actors in and around the company came to think and speak about time, space, and their ability to change the world around them. Other than this, Asher has worked on questions of how Jewish thought might be used to navigate contemporary technological transformations. Asher currently is a Research Assistant at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence.
NB: This series will take place both in the building and online. To attend in online, click the "Book Now" button on this page. To attend in person, click the button below.