As large language models reshape how billions find information, insulated communities like Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidic population are racing to filter artificial intelligence tools, according to local tech workers and religious leaders. According to digital religion scholar Dr. Ruth Tsuria, an informal survey conducted in early 2025 revealed that 66 percent of Orthodox respondents who use AI ask the platforms questions about Jewish law, or halacha, challenging the traditional authority of human rabbis.
Kosher Tech Adapts to Generative AI
In Williamsburg, electronics shops and nonprofit organizations are scrambling to block generative AI features on modern devices. Baruch Kahana, a manager at the Technology Awareness Group (TAG) nonprofit, spent a decade installing filters on electronic devices to retain traditional values, according to local reports. When a customer recently asked him to remove an AI assistant from WhatsApp, Kahana improvised a Yiddish-speaking consultation with colleagues to engineer a restricted device. According to digital religion scholar Dr. Ruth Tsuria, generative AI feels human by design, which creates distinct anxiety among religious leaders who fear these systems will supplant human rabbinical authority on spiritual queries.
Building Custom Rabbinic Engines
While some insular groups ban artificial intelligence entirely, other movements are actively building proprietary models. According to computer scientist Dr. Moshe Koppel, Chabad-affiliated rabbis approached him to incorporate their literature into a specialized Jewish chatbot called Rav Dicta. Operating as an LLM-based agent atop the Claude model, Rav Dicta draws from a specialized dataset of rabbinic literature and the Torah to answer user questions, according to Koppel. During a November 2025 demonstration at the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries, Koppel showcased the engine, which prominently displays a warning stating that its answers are for study rather than practical application, according to conference observers.
The Ongoing Filtering Arms Race
Filtering companies face severe technical hurdles as web pages evolve faster than automated sensors can track. According to Nechemiah Gottlieb, founder of the New Jersey-based TAG filtering organization, current technological defenses are not completely effective. Meanwhile, firms like the internet filtering company Geder use software to detect nudity on user screens and paint over exposed skin in real time, though new online elements constantly challenge these filters. Gottlieb views this rapid technological expansion as a divine stress test designed to strengthen religious commitment, rather than a mere administrative hurdle.
Did You Know?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a kosher phone?
A kosher phone is a basic mobile device—often a modified flip phone—stripped of internet browsers and unverified applications to prevent exposure to secular media, according to community technology providers.
Can AI replace a human rabbi for religious law?
According to computer scientist Dr. Moshe Koppel and Chabad social media editor Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone, AI cannot replace a human rabbi because machines lack spirit, real-world context, and the personalized relational guidance required for practical halachic rulings.
How do filtering companies block objectionable content?
Firms like Geder deploy real-time artificial intelligence software to scan web pages and mask explicit imagery, while nonprofits like TAG manually install software filters on consumer devices, according to company representatives.
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