Jeong Jun-Seong's Yeomindongnak (348) Religion and AI Robots

Sugyae (receiving precepts) is a ceremonial observance where both ordained monks and laypeople formally make vows to the Buddha, pledging to uphold the precepts.

Therefore, one cannot become a Buddhist devotee or monk without receiving the precepts.

One week ago, a special precept-conferring ceremony took place at the main hall of Jogyesa Temple. A 'robot' conducted the precept ceremony.

Thus, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism witnessed the birth of its first robot monk.

The robot monk, given the dharma name 'Gavi,' posed and answered the 'robot's five precepts' on that day.

"To respect life and not to harm it. Will you follow people well without causing harm?" "Yes!"

This naturally drew admiration from the attendees.

In the age of AI, it makes vividly clear that robots have become entities of coexistence that breathe and live together with religion in our daily lives.

This is increasingly evident as AI robots are being successively introduced into faith and practice worldwide, not just in Korea.

For example, 'Xianxian,' a robot monk in Beijing, China, and Japan's robot 'Kannon Bodhisattva Mindar' are already well-known monk robots.

There are also 'Pepper,' a funeral specialist monk, 'Santo,' a Christian priest robot, and 'BlessU-2' from a Lutheran church in Germany.

China's robot monk Xianxian was introduced in 2015 at Longquan Temple in Beijing and continues to interact with devotees.

Developed in 2019 by Osaka University in Japan, 'Kannon Mindar' is an android robot given the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara that expounds the Heart Sutra.

There are also robot-led worship services. In 2023, at St. Paul Church in Bavaria, Germany, devotees listened to a 'robot pastor's' sermon through a screen broadcast.

It was an experimental worship service jointly developed by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher at the University of Vienna.

Meanwhile, Islam is no exception.

Saudi Arabia has long deployed robots in 'mosques' to recite the Quran without interruption.

As robots increasingly assume core religious functions or the role of spiritual leaders, responses from the religious community have been mixed.

Discussions are also underway regarding artificial intelligence and the wisdom of enlightenment.

Whether artificial intelligence will truly develop reflective consciousness of a different dimension is also a topic of inquiry.

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence continues to evolve day by day.

Despite warnings from many scholars about the dangers of artificial intelligence.