Multifaith alliance of global religious and technology leaders signals commitment to a human dignity-centered future
New York and Hiroshima – July 8, 2024 – Yeshiva University, the nation’s flagship Jewish University, today announced that its President, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, will attend by invitation the historic, multifaith “AI Ethics for Peace: World Religions commit to the Rome Call” conference this week in Hiroshima, Japan to sign on to the Rome Call for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics. The Rome Call urges governments, technology companies, and other organizations to advance an ethical approach to AI in order to shape a responsible future that honors human dignity.
The inaugural event is being jointly convened in Hiroshima by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Commission for Interreligious Relations, the Pontifical Academy for Life, and the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, from July 8 to July 10. These Abrahamic faith leaders instituted the Rome Call in February 2020 alongside governments, non-governmental organizations, and leading technology companies. They now bring its important mission to additional world religions at this Conference hosted by Religions for Peace Japan.
The event culminates in the signing of the Rome Call by the signatories—prominent religious and technology leaders from around the world, including executives from Microsoft, Google, and Cisco—in keeping with the collaboration between faith and science that is essential for ethical AI. The conference also features speakers from academic, religious, and technological disciplines who will discuss the ethics of AI in panels and roundtables.
The Yeshiva University delegation will represent Judaism, alongside the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Rabbi Berman leads the Yeshiva University delegation, which includes Rabbi Meir Soloveichik (Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Zahava and Moshael J. Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University), Rabbi Daniel Feldman (Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University and Faculty at the Sy Syms School of Business), and Dr. Jeremy Wertheimer (member of the Yeshiva University Academic Committee, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and former Vice President of Engineering at Google). The Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Commission and Yeshiva University emissaries will also be honored by the Israeli Embassy in Japan, in an event distinct from the official AI Ethics summit.
“We express our deep gratitude to the conveners of this historic coalition, and especially the Chief Rabbinate’s Commission for inviting us and recognizing Yeshiva University leaders as among a cohort of global changemakers,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University. “The Rome Call is an important mandate born of universal moral principles that transcend faith, nationality, and profession. This new era demands a carefully reasoned moral framework. Fortunately, the Jewish tradition has been debating these questions for millennia, and we will continue to meet modern challenges with Torah values.”
“In an increasingly polarized world, plagued by the rising tide of antisemitism and moving so quickly with the rise of AI, it is a powerful statement of unity that the Rome Call signatories call for an international collaboration of faith and industry to achieve an ethical technological future,” Rabbi Berman continued.
About Yeshiva University
As the flagship Jewish university, Yeshiva University is animated by its five core Torah values: Seek Truth (Torat Emet), Live Your Values (Torat Chaim), Discover Your Potential (Torat Adam), Act With Compassion (Torat Chesed) and Bring Redemption (Torat Tzion). Founded in 1886, Yeshiva University brings together the ancient traditions of Jewish law and life, and the heritage of Western civilization. More than 7,400 undergraduate and graduate students study at YU's four New York City campuses: the Wilf Campus, Israel Henry Beren Campus, Brookdale Center, and Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus. YU's three undergraduate schools – Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women, and Sy Syms School of Business – offer a unique dual program comprised of Jewish studies and liberal arts courses. Its graduate and affiliate schools include Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, the Katz School of Science and Health and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. YU is ranked among the nation's leading academic institutions.
