Using AI and robots in the service of religion

DW (English)

Even world religions have to keep up with digital progress. Examples include: androids that hold church services, AI models taking confession, robots assisting with rituals and apps to guide your prayers.

Transcript

00:00Hey ChatGPT, please write a short prayer for my family. One line only.

00:07Lord, keep my family safe, united and filled with your love.

00:11Amen.

00:12Religion and digital technology, at first glance, the two don't go together at all.

00:17But many believers and developers would beg to differ.

00:20Let's take a look at what technologies are out there and if they're any good.

00:24Religious guidance from AI is an idea that many have already experimented with.

00:32This US congregation even had ChatGPT write an entire church service for them.

00:37And remember that even in a world of AI, the eternal truth of God's love shines bright.

00:44But is this just a gimmick or is it the future?

00:47Truth is, for many, smartphones can be a great help in times of need, offering personal guidance.

00:53Religious scholar Inken Pohl from Heidelberg University takes the intersection of faith, spirituality and technology very seriously.

01:02We have this huge field of spiritualities and mindfulness and the strive for immortality and self-optimization, which I would also call religious.

01:15And in this field, AI is playing a huge role.

01:20For people of faith, there are many apps claiming to make everyday religious life easier.

01:29They can remind you of prayer times, send you inspiring verses from the Koran or help you study the Torah or Bible on the go.

01:38The combined data of religious texts can be called up in an instant.

01:42For example, with this AI rabbi.

01:46The program works similarly to ChatGPT.

01:49You can ask the virtual rabbi anything and it's always available.

01:53But of course, mistakes can happen.

01:55The opportunities for AI in religious practice are endless.

02:01Try holding virtual church services, for example, or speaking directly with religious figures.

02:07How about Jesus himself?

02:11This AI Jesus, developed at Lucerne's University of Applied Sciences, was put to the test in Peter's chapel in the same city.

02:18It's like ChatGPT, but trained on the Bible.

02:22In a test run, volunteers sat in a confessional with a bearded bod and asked him questions.

02:28The feedback was largely positive.

02:35He reaffirmed me in my ways of going about things.

02:38And he helped me with questions I had.

02:41I thought it was a gimmick for sure.

02:46In just two months, AI Jesus held around 900 conversations.

02:51Many users reported having positive experiences, but not all of them did.

02:56Some found his answers evasive.

02:59But unlike historical Jesus, at least this one can sit across from you and respond to questions.

03:04He even took on pastoral care.

03:06Too good to be true?

03:08What AI is also doing is creating immersive experiences that we associate with feelings of transcendence in religions.

03:20And here the huge question is, is this authentic?

03:27Well, many religious scholars aren't quite convinced.

03:34It distracts us from the development of AI turning into a religion.

03:41And it makes religion important.

03:44And religious people are always interested in making themselves more important.

03:48Interesting take.

03:50After all, for some, religion is just another means to maintain power and easily exploit it for a quick buck.

03:57In 2024, so-called spiritual wellness apps generated over 2 billion euros.

04:03In the US, one in three adults use them, be it to pray, read religious texts or meditate.

04:10Many post about religious issues on social media, too.

04:14And in doing so, they share some very personal information.

04:18Grief, financial problems or an impending divorce.

04:23It's this information that US churches are scouring social media profiles for.

04:28And they're using AI and big data to do it.

04:31Because in the wake of crisis, many are likely to turn to faith.

04:35For modern church missionaries, apps sold by commercial providers can compile precise information on neighborhood communities.

04:42Who lives next door to whom? And since when?

04:45How many children do they have? What's their background?

04:49Essentially, the programs analyze the data people readily provide online to find out who is vulnerable.

04:55These individuals are then targeted by churches.

04:58They're offered help or invited to a service.

05:01Mixing data mining, up until now the domain of marketing or political campaigns with religion, is controversial.

05:08Of course, religious institutions always work with strategies to invoke emotions.

05:20But now, these strategies are multiplied and optimized by big data applications.

05:28After all, the data concerned is very intimate.

05:31And the community applications are specifically designed to identify and target people in the middle of a crisis.

05:39It's almost like a 21st century missionary toolkit, complete with AI, apps and data.

05:46In the Vatican, the Pope tends to the Catholic congregation in a different way.

05:51On the online network Click2Pray, Pope Francis invites people to pray together.

05:57Here I will include prayer intentions and requests for the mission of the church.

06:03Here, believers from all over the world can share their thoughts.

06:08And if that's not enough, now you can even head straight to the Vatican in virtual reality.

06:14Yep, that's right.

06:16You can visit the dorm of St. Peter's Basilica easier than ever, thanks to a new detailed 3D model.

06:21Over weeks, drones scanned and photographed the basilica, snapping more than 400,000 photos,

06:27which were then knit together by an algorithm to create a so-called digital twin.

06:32Now, the dome can be seen from anywhere in the world.

06:35And it's just one of the many sacred sites that viewers can now explore online.

06:40Why not visit the Golden Buddha in Bangkok or the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi from the comfort of your home?

06:50A pilgrimage to the Masyad al-Haram, the sacred mosque of Mecca, is a pillar of the Muslim faith.

06:56But not everyone can afford the trip.

06:58The Hajj is available in VR.

07:02As a matter of fact, almost all religions nowadays use digital technologies in one way or another.

07:08When I visited a Buddhist temple in Japan, I was met by a robot priest.

07:14The name is Minder, an android made of aluminum and silicone.

07:22A robot in the image of Canon, the Buddhist deity of compassion.

07:26But this robot is much more than just tech.

07:30It's a priest, holding multimedia sermons in a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto.

07:37Minder was developed in collaboration with Osaka University.

07:40Looking part human, part machine, it's pretty revolutionary, don't you think?

07:45Some people find it really strange when they first come in.

07:52But after watching a 20-minute ceremony, most of them do leave thinking of Minder as a kind of Buddhist teacher.

08:00Minder's teachings have been a weekend staple since 2019, offering many different teachings.

08:13For believers and the curious alike, which is promising.

08:16The hope is that Minder might revive some of Buddhism's spiritual appeal for today's tech-savvy generations.

08:24It was all a little strange for me, but really fascinating.

08:28In India, Hindu ceremonies are also undergoing a system update.

08:32A massive one.

08:34Weighing in at 800 kilos, over 3 meters tall and stunningly lifelike.

08:39This robot elephant is decked out in colorful attire for Hindu ceremonies.

08:44The animal welfare organization PETA India is trying a new approach to end cruelty against animals.

08:50The robot elephants cost around 6000 euros.

08:53Repeated incidents with stressed animals at ceremonies prompted the innovation.

08:59We see on a daily basis, we see all the different kinds of cruelty that is happening.

09:04And elephants running amok in, I think, almost all the temple festivals,

09:09because they happen in the heights of summer.

09:11And I don't think it's ever occurred to people that there is an alternative and you can do something like this.

09:16I think it's a really revolutionary step that they're taking, and we hope to see him in a lot of places.

09:22Robot elephants operate in more than 10 temples in southern India, helping to keep a centuries-old tradition alive.

09:28This is an age of electronics and technology, so why can't we improve the system?

09:38And this robotic elephant can be improved a lot more, and we can have the same feeling of the original elephants.

09:44That approach makes a lot of sense to me. After all, religious rituals are all about the staging.

09:50So why not use a robot? It can be just as impressive as the live version.

09:56But showy parades aside, what would religion be without human contact?

10:00That's why more and more people of faith are using social media to spread their message.

10:06She is known as the TikTok nun.

10:08Josefina Catanio has more than 200,000 followers there, and over 100,000 on Instagram.

10:14Catanio has been active on her platform since 2020.

10:18I guess my role is to win over young people for Jesus. That's the primary thing.

10:29And to show people that nuns are just like everyone else, normal, cheerful and happy.

10:38The now 30-year-old is a member of a Catholic congregation in Argentina.

10:43But when she began her social media journey, she was far from equipped for what lay ahead.

10:51When I first downloaded the app, I didn't know how to use it. I felt so old. I wanted to die.

10:57Then I told myself, this can't be. I'm 24 years old. What does a monastery do to you?

11:02So then I started looking for tutorials on YouTube and slowly wrapped my head around how to use these kinds of programs.

11:08Then I recorded my first TikTok reel. It was a little dance that went like…

11:15That was my first one.

11:18Since then, her videos have come a long way.

11:21She picks up on current trends, does ping-pong interviews with her sisters, or just sings and dances.

11:28There are plenty of skeptics who don't like the way she presents herself, but that won't stop her, she says.

11:34How can making a video or using social media to share the gospel be ridiculous?

11:41Announcing the gospel and seeking strategies, looking for the what, how or where is never ridiculous.

11:46I think we all know the feeling of searching for answers in a confusing reality.

11:52That's why many faith influencers will try to offer simple, direct solutions.

11:57That keeps them popular on social channels like TikTok and Insta, even if there are fewer and fewer practicing believers overall.

12:05But beware, this can also be a gateway to manipulation and radicalization.

12:10One thing is for sure, religions can no longer do without digital technology.

12:15And what are your experiences?

12:17Is it an improvement or just a gimmick after all?

12:20That's it for me. See you next time.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended