Artificial intelligence (AI) played two roles in B’s story: first, it helped make his job redundant. Then it almost convinced him he had no financial safety net.
Recently, 34-year-old “B” approached me for help, and his experience prompted me to write this article.
Through an unfortunate combination of circumstances—including the growing use of AI as a far cheaper and often faster alternative in his profession—he was retrenched twice within three years.
Like many olim, B’s Hebrew is limited, so he relied heavily on translations and advice provided by AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. AI translations from Hebrew to English are generally good enough to provide a working understanding of the text. These platforms also excel at explaining complex topics in plain language, summarizing long documents, brainstorming ideas, improving writing, comparing information, and helping users think through problems. What they are not, however, is a substitute for official or authoritative sources of information.
Following his first retrenchment, B claimed the unemployment benefits to which he was entitled. Fortunately, within a few months, he found another job that he genuinely enjoyed.
During that time, he also became a father, adding to the financial pressures that many young families in Israel face.
A few months ago, it became clear that his employer was losing clients. As business declined, the company followed a last-in, first-out policy, and B once again found himself out of work.
Instead of consulting Kol Zchut—an independent nonprofit initiative that is widely recognized and supported by Israeli government ministries and public bodies, and which provides comprehensive information about rights and benefits in Israel—he turned to AI for guidance. Based on the information B provided, the AI platform told him that too little time had passed since his previous claim and that he was no longer eligible for another round of unemployment benefits.
Believing this to be true, B felt trapped. The financial pressure mounted, and he didn’t know where to turn.
When he told me what had happened, I suggested he check Kol Zchut. Although the website no longer has an English interface, it would have taken less than a minute to copy the relevant Hebrew text into an AI platform and ask for a translation. Had he done that, he would have discovered that the AI’s conclusion was incorrect. In fact, he was entitled to claim unemployment benefits again.
Armed with the correct information, B went to the Employment Service and began the claims process. He also learned that the service offers vocational courses and retraining programs that can help people develop new skills and improve their employment prospects.
The lesson from B’s experience is not to avoid AI—it is to use it wisely.
AI is an outstanding tool for learning, translating, organizing information, and increasing productivity. But when it comes to your legal rights, government benefits, taxes, medical care, or other decisions with real-world consequences, it should not be your final authority.
Use AI to help you understand the information. Then verify the important facts with the relevant official source. AI can occasionally misunderstand a question, misinterpret a source, or present an incorrect answer with complete confidence. That is why authoritative websites, government agencies, and primary sources remain essential.
In short, let AI help you work smarter—but don’t let it make important decisions for you.
