- Special rules were made for the monk, help of ChatGPT was also taken.
Robot Monk: The use of Artificial Intelligence and robots is no longer limited to factories, offices or homes only. Now technology has also entered the world of spirituality and religion. A Buddhist temple in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, has presented its first humanoid Robot Monk to the world, which has been named Gabi.
This robot was not made just for show, but preparations are being made to include it in Buddhist traditions and spiritual activities. Gabi was recently presented in public for the first time at a religious event organized ahead of Buddha Jayanti celebrations.
Gabi looking like an old monk
This humanoid robot, about four feet tall, was dressed in brown and gray clothes like traditional Buddhist monks. During the ceremony, Gabi along with other monks chanted mantras, bowed during worship and also answered people’s questions.
This robot has been prepared under the initiative of Jogye Order, the largest Buddhist organization of South Korea. Its purpose is said to be to connect the youth with Buddhism and spirituality through modern technology.
Robot took spiritual resolution
Gabi has been built on China’s Unitree G1 humanoid platform. Its body has been designed in such a way that it can walk like humans, fold hands and take part in religious activities.
During the ceremony, when a monk asked Gabi if he would follow the Buddha and his teachings, the robot replied, “Yes, I will dedicate myself.” After this, Gabi circled around the pagoda during the puja and also prayed with folded hands.
Interestingly, the name Gabi also has spiritual meaning. It is being told that this name has been created by combining Gautam Buddha’s birth name Siddhartha and the Korean word Jabi i.e. mercy and compassion.
Special rules made for robots
The temple administration has also prepared some special Buddhist rules for Gabi. These include rules like respecting life, not harming anything, not saying wrong things and not charging the battery more than necessary. Interestingly, the help of AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini was also taken in preparing these rules.
Why is the use of AI increasing in religion?
Buddhist institutions in South Korea are now taking the help of technology to attract the new generation. Religious organizations believe that with the help of AI and robots, it can be easier to connect the youth with spiritual activities. Besides, this technology can also help in dealing with problems like shortage of monks. It is being told that Gabi can be seen along with other Buddhist themed robots in the upcoming Buddha Jayanti programs and lantern parades.
Such experiment has started in Japan also
South Korea is not the only country where AI is being linked to spirituality. Some time ago, researchers from Kyoto University of Japan had prepared an AI robot named Buddharoid. This robot can talk to people, understand Buddhist scriptures and can also answer spiritual questions. Looking at these experiments, it is clear that the combination of technology and spirituality can become deeper in the future.
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