Presentation by Rabbi Jill Cozen-Harel and Doug Gould, Sherith Israel Board President

If part of your practice is to not drive a car on Shabbat (or you're curious about what that might be like!), can you take a self-driving car on Shabbat? And how might taking an autonomous vehicle fall into a different category religiously than taking an Uber or Lyft? We will look at the rabbinic topics that guide these questions and explore the contemporary questions at play in this decision. Examples include: why is driving an issue on Shabbat? Does it matter where you are headed? Does it matter how far you travel? What happens if the car breaks down? And what might this question of self-driving cars on Shabbat teach us about the bigger exploration of Judaism and AI in general?