In his new book on Judaism in the Digital Age, RABBI DANNY SCHIFF argues that, with all their vulnerabilities, humans have a worth that cannot be matched by AI or augmented humanity.

Imagine lying on a riverbank on a late summer afternoon and gazing up at the sky as you feel the warm sun ener­gize you. Simultaneously, your mind contemplates the shape of the clouds and then wanders to consider what you seek to achieve in the year ahead.

Could we design AI that might desire to lie on a riverbank, be energized by the sun, contemplate the clouds, and then let its “mind” spontaneously wander to consider its ambitions? Even if this were to prove possible, it seems unlikely that we would bother. We have no need to create day­dreaming AI that lies on riverbanks and reflects. This is particularly true given that, without consciousness, AI would never engage in real reflec­tion, and the goal of constructing AI with human-like conscious­ness is likely to be unreachable.

The human mind is so intricate and astonishing that it is a powerful testament to human uniqueness.

In all likelihood, we represent an exceedingly unusual flickering of intelligence in the universe as a whole. It appears certain, moreover, that the type of intelligence that humans possess does not exist anywhere else; should the flame be extinguished, it will never again be rekindled.

Is all this worthy of preservation? Is the human mind, memory, creativ­ity, language ability, and the multiplicity of other features and capacities that makes us distinctive of lasting value? It is true that we humans do not consistently cover ourselves in glory. Maybe the next link in the chain of evolution that could conceivably follow us will be more knowledgeable, more efficient, and less destructive than we are. Few miss Neanderthals or long to have them back. So, is there any reason to insist on keeping us around?