12. Altman’s Golem*

The rapid proliferation of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, particularly large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has captivated global attention. These AI systems enable users to generate text-based responses to complex prompts, offering capabilities such as creative writing, translation, and interactive conversation. The pace of their development, however, has sparked a competitive ‘arms race’ among tech giants, raising concerns about their power, potential misuse, and sociocultural impacts. This chapter draws parallels between the mythical Jewish figure of the golem and contemporary chatbots, framing the golem as a historical precursor to generative AI technologies. While golems were designed to serve and protect, their autonomy often caused unintended harm to the very populations they were designed to assist. We trace this lineage from folkloric tales such as the Rabbi of Prague to modern AI pioneers such as cybernetic theorist, Norbert Wiener, and OpenAI’s founder and CEO, Sam Altman. We highlight ChatGPT’s limitations, such as its failure to generate accurate, culturally specific humour or address intersectional identities, thereby risking the perpetuation of stereotypes and cultural erasure. We argue for renaming ChatGPT as Altman’s Golem, emphasising the ethical responsibility of its creators to mitigate its potential risks.