ChatGPT is an AI (artificial intelligence) chatbot system that OpenAI released in November 2022. Without overdramatization, this powerful tool has been taking the world by storm. Essentially, it is an interactive and generative model that allows you – the user – to type questions about essentially anything and everything, and in seconds, it spits back text-based responses in essay format. Some examples: You can ask it to write code for your website, you can ask it to write an essay for an assignment, you can even ask it to tell you a dvar torah. 

In terms of knowledge and intelligence, ChatGPT can outperform any human being, no question. But it is extremely important to be mindful, that, no matter how normal and popular this new revolutionary world of A.I. becomes, at the end of the day, it is a machine. And as such, it cannot provide that element of relationships that is crucial and imperative for the happiness and ultimate success of mankind.  

Amazingly, in a conversation with ChatGPT, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Ph.D. asked it “Why do you have to be so cold? You are breaking my feelings.” ChatGPT responded as follows: “I apologize if my previous responses seemed cold or unempathetic. It's important to understand that I am not capable of reciprocating those feelings, and that building healthy relationships with real people who are capable of emotional connection and mutual understanding is the best way to find emotional fulfillment.” 

I think it's not a coincidence that specifically during this entire launch and hype of ChatGPT to the public eye, there was another exciting breakthrough that hit the news. That is, the Harvard Study of Adult Development – the longest in-depth longitudinal study on human life ever done (over 80 years!) on what makes people flourish – revealed that “Good relationships lead to health and happiness.” Simply astonishing. The secret to a happy and healthy life, says Robert Waldinger, leader of this “breakthrough” study, is “having good and warm connections with others.” 

So yes, ChatGPT is great, wonderful, and useful in so many ways. But one thing it can't do (which it admits!) is nurture a relationship with a human being. We often hear of the phrase, “Knowledge is Power.” And while this may be true, there is something, now backed up by scientific evidence, that is even more powerful that knowledge and intelligence. It's called: Relationships. Relationships are the most powerful tool that we can use. 

In Parshas Va'eira, the Torah tells us וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹקים– My friends, we are being taught about the importance, value, and power of relationships.  

Let's work on relationships with ourselves, with the people around us, and with our Creator in Heaven.