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A new study uncovers the intriguing results of the Mindar humanoid robot’s delivery of 25-minute Heart Sutra sermons on Buddhist principles at the Kodai-Ji Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementations might pose a threat to the trustworthiness of spiritual communities, a study suggests.
As AI permeates various occupations, it brings forth novel approaches for disseminating religious philosophies through robotic preachers. However, these may inadvertently dent the credibility and lessen the financial support of religious entities that employ them, as noted in a study by the American Psychological Association.
“It seems like robots take over more occupations every year, but I wouldn’t be so sure that religious leaders will ever be fully automated because religious leaders need credibility, and robots aren’t credible,” remarked Joshua Conrad Jackson, PhD, a key researcher and Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.
This research appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
Artificial Intelligence and Religious Beliefs
Jackson and his associates conducted a study involving Mindar, a humanoid robot, at the Kodai-Ji Buddhist shrine in Kyoto, Japan. The robot, featuring a human-like silicone face that talks and blinks, housed in a metal frame, delivers 25-minute Heart Sutra discourses on Buddhist tenets with immersive sound and visual aids.
Built in 2019 by a Japanese robotics team in collaboration with the shrine, Mindar’s development cost nearly $1 million. However, the research indicates a possible drop in temple donations due to its presence.
398 participants, departing the temple post a sermon by either Mindar or a human Buddhist priest, were surveyed. Mindar received less faith and smaller offerings compared to the human priest.
A similar experiment took place in a Taoist shrine in Singapore, with 239 participants hearing a sermon from either a human priest or a humanoid robot named Pepper. Corresponding outcomes were observed – the robot faced diminished trust and triggered lesser contributions. Those who attended the robot sermon were less inclined to propagate its teachings or assist in promoting the temple.
Although human preachers were considered more trustworthy, the difference was marginal. On a 1 to 5 credibility scale, robotic preachers averaged 3.12, while humans averaged 3.51.
“This suggests that there are a lot of people out there who think robots could be effective preachers, but there are more people who aren’t convinced,” commented Jackson.
While the studies centered around Eastern religions, Jackson thinks the implications could extend to other faiths.
A third trial involved 274 Christian participants from the US reading an online sermon. Half were told it was penned by a human preacher, and the rest were informed it was AI-generated. The AI sermon group found the content less trustworthy, citing AI’s limited ability to think or feel human-like.
Is technology reshaping faith as we know it?
“Robots and AI programs can’t truly hold any religious beliefs so religious organizations may see declining commitment from their congregations if they rely more on technology than on human leaders who can demonstrate their faith,” Jackson concluded.
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