Let us make man in our image-a Jewish ethical perspective on creating conscious robots

Abstract

The dream of making conscious humanoid robots is one that has long tantalized humanity, yet today it seems closer than ever before. Assuming that science can make it happen, the question becomes: should we make it happen? Is it morally permissible to create synthetic beings with consciousness? While a consequentialist approach may seem logical, attempting to assess the potential positive and negative consequences of such a revolutionary technology is highly speculative and raises more questions than it answers. Accordingly, some turn to ancient and not-so-ancient stories of “automata” for direction. Of the many automata conjured throughout history, if not in matter then in mind, the Golem stands out as one of the most persistent paradigms employed to discuss technology in general and technologically engendered life forms in particular. In this essay, I introduce a novel reading of the Golem paradigm to argue not from consequentialism, but from a deep-seated two-thousand-year-old tradition, the ethical implications of which are wholly deontological.