The responses to that post were what I anticipated.

There were folks who felt that the post was spot-on and that it offered a variety of innovative, creative and inspiring 21st century challenges, ideas and concepts. And, there were others who criticized the importance and utility of AI technology in our Jewish day schools and were very skeptical about its value and utility. Many were even adamant against its use.

The purpose of this blog is not intended to support or defend these ideas or points of view, but rather to inspire us to think strategically about the potential use of AI technology in our Jewish day schools and Yeshivot.

First, its important to note that our Jewish day school and yeshiva communities are currently in the throws of one of the most rapidly changing and complex transformations in recent memory. In fact, these challenges are currently evolving at breathtaking speed and meteoric frequency, and they are now on a trajectory of unlimited scope, potential and magnitude.

Today’s technological advances have in fact been evolving for years and are only now being fully recognized as our schools “push the technology envelope” as never before imaginable. These evolutionary changes in our schools, are a mirror image of the challenges and realities which we are currently experiencing in our general society. But, at the end of the day, the question remains, is AI good for our day schools an yeshivot.

Impact of AI Technology

The current and potential impact of AI technology is evolving at lighting speed, especially in education.

As we know, our general educational community is rapidly integrating AI in order to transform classroom learning, save teachers hours of prep time, and engage students in text study. These include interactive text exploration, enhancing teacher efficiency and differentiation, and adaptive learning paths.

It is therefore essential that our Jewish educational community understand its impact and potential application.

This does not necessarily suggest that our schools need to utilize AI, but rather be given the opportunity to use it appropriately and responsibly, if they so chose.

I can vividly recall the controversy in our yeshiva community when Google was first introduced as a search platform. There were many heads of school and principals who felt that it would comprise student intellectual curiosity and create a society of lazy dependent students. Well, today I can’t think of one yeshiva or day school that does not rely heavily on Google for searches, research, and references for  administration and  limudei kodesh and limudei chol. The one caveat is that it is used appropriately and responsibly and that there are strict guardrails for student use.

Several weeks ago, I heard a recorded podcast between several yeshiva heads of school who were comparing AI technology to cell phone use. Although it was a bit of a stretch, cell phone use is an entirely different animal. Yes, cell phone devices  rely on technology, but that does not make them bad. What makes cell phone use challenging and at times  even”dangerous” is the lack of supervision of children who use it, the ease in which it can be misused and the inability to continuously monitor student use.

As a result, today there are many Jewish day schools that are not only prohibiting cell phone use in their schools, but have also banned whats now refereed to as “kosher phones” as well.

Although it is not within the purview of this writer to support or reject this course of action, I can now clearly understand why and how AI technology can be viewed as a threat.

The use or misuse of technology is a challenge of immense proportion, especially for those who are inexperienced in its use. But like everything in life, the more we use it,  and safeguard against it misuse, the greater the comfort zone.

Getting back to the challenge of AI, the parallel should be obvious. The use and application of AI technology is profound.

The short and long-term impact of AI technology on the teaching-learning process is fascinating to say the least.

The conversation should no longer be about whether technology should or should not be permitted or accepted in our Jewish educational institutions, or whether its uses are good or bad, “healthy” or “unhealthy”…… but, rather  how we as a community utilize and celebrate the AI  technological revolution as a beneficial 21st century reality and as an integral part of our educational community and society.

This reality does not suggest that all AI technology is 100% beneficial or “safe” for our schools and students. Like all innovations, especially those that are ubiquitous such as AI or “super” AI technology, it is essential that our schools utilize these technologies responsibly and with high levels of  knowledge, understanding, insight, sensitivity, transparency  and accountability. To be sure, “we still do not now what we don’t know” about AI. This means that there is much that we must learn before we are 100% comfortable with the technology.

What motivated me to write this blog was a fascinating conversation I recently had with several well-respected forward- thinking Jewish educators in the corridors of a major Jewish day school.

Several decades later, we now witness the tremendously impressive proliferation and impact of this technology on education and on society. To be sure, the speed in which information is now amassed and disseminated and the ability and capacity to spread information, knowledge and opinions in milliseconds have had and continues to have a profoundly positive impact on our lives, our institutions and communities.

As indicated in my February Times of Israel blog there are currently a series of very impressive and enlightening articles on this important topic. This includes  the recent publication Yeshiva University’s December 2024 Edition of Torah To-Go, entitled Illuminating the Future: Jewish Values and AI.

In that Issue, we are presented with a wide array of fascinating perspectives regarding moral responsibility, AI and halachic decision making, and other AI related perspectives which impact upon our Jewish communities and their institutions

It goes without saying that like all man- created innovations, technology requires specific “guardrails” in order to insure its proper, ethical, moral, and legal application.

The AI Revolution and its Impact on Our Jewish Day School and Yeshiva Administrative Operations and Education.

With the recent explosion of AI technology, our Jewish educational institutions are currently experiencing administrative and educational advances as never before imaginable. From record keeping, payroll, maintenance contracts, inventory control, the purchasing of school material  supplies, the processing of student admissions, registration and teacher applicant interviews as well as comparative bids, to the processing and selection of scholarship applications, transcripts, report cards and accreditation requirements  –  AI technology, supported by its algorithmic complexities will eventually become an indispensable and a formidable reality.

In addition to the unlimited ways in which AI may improve and enhance our day school and yeshiva administrative processes, procedures, capacities and effectiveness, it also has tremendous power, capacity and capabilities to improve and enhance the education and learning process of our students – both within the four walls of our school, our classrooms, in the community and in our homes.

Having said that, the impact of AI technology on quality assurances in education is in its infancy; and, the jury is still out regarding its actual impact on the quality of education, learning and instruction. But, most experts opine that the challenge of educational quality are being currently being resolved and its gaps are now beginning to close fast.

AI Educational Applications

Not unlike its administrative utility, AI technology possess amazing educational application and potential for student learning, teaching and instruction in our schools.

Several of these may include:

  • 24/6 tutoring assistance;
  • Class and lesson planning review; and simulated testing, quizzes and academic assessments;
  •  Reference material for student learning and faculty instruction;
  • Havruta study and the provision of Judaic reference material;
  • Teacher/Faculty performance assessments via algorithmic generated data and metrics;
  • In-depth lesson and unit planning;
  • Personalized learning material for special needs, gifted and talented students;
  • Scalability and interpretation of  academic grades and assessment scores;
  • Test/Assessment preparation;
  • Coding for Increased AI connectivity;
  • Professional Development (PD) Programs and training modules spanning the entire curriculum;
  • In-depth analysis and descriptions of Jewish values, moral behavior and Middot Tovot;
  • Jewish literacy including the teaching and learning of Hebrew language, as well as the teaching and learning of Talmud Chumash TaNach, Mishna, Navi and halacha;
  • AI assistant teachers  and AI guided substitute faculty; and,
  • The identification of curricular gaps as they relate to standards and outcomes based assessments.

Conclusion

As our Jewish day schools and yeshivot begin to experience AI  use and its transformative application on both  the school administration and curricular innovation, our communities and their educational institutions will be challenged to “keep-up”the  feverish pace of its growth and involvement in order to carefully utilize and exploit this powerful educational tool.

From a Jewish day school and yeshiva perspective, the next AI frontier to be explored will be how to utilize AI effectively in the home, school and classroom without compromising high quality ethical or moral standards.

It is one level to understand, appreciate and embrace AI generated innovation; its another level to learn how to use it and apply it effectively and responsibly as well as how to celebrate its use in our schools.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the proper and appropriate application of AI, which may take decades to refine and improve.

Until then, we must be extremely careful, cautious and circumspect about when, how and where we use AI technology in our educational institutions.