Named “Buddharoid”, the humanoid robot has been trained on vast Buddhist scriptures and can hold engaging conversations while moving and gesturing like a human priest.
As Japan grapples with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, researchers in Kyoto are turning to artificial intelligence to fill an unlikely gap: Buddhist monks.
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Scientists at Kyoto University have unveiled an AI-powered robot monk designed to offer spiritual guidance, answer some of life's biggest questions and potentially even assist with religious rituals.
The humanoid, named “Buddharoid”, has been trained on vast amounts of Buddhist scriptures, including highly specialised texts, giving it the digital wisdom to answer personal and philosophical questions.
The project is led by Seiji Kumagai at the University of Kyoto's Institute for the Future of Human Society. By integrating advanced language models with a commercially available humanoid model, the robot is able to speak, gesture, move and adopt traditional prayer postures inside temple spaces.
Unlike earlier religious robots, such as AI simulations of Jesus Christ, which were largely pre-programmed or limited to scripted sermons, the new system is designed to hold dynamic conversations while performing human-like motions.
During a recent demonstration at a temple in Japan, the faceless, grey-robed robot walked among attendees and engaged in one-to-one exchanges.
Take a look at the video above to see the robo-monk in action.
