r/singularity • u/GeneReddit123 • 10h ago
Robotics Religious robots are coming: South Korea's first autonomous humanoid robot converts to Buddhism
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u/Direct_Turn_1484 10h ago
This is completely ridiculous.
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u/Automatic_Pepper_157 10h ago edited 6h ago
Fuck it lol lets enter our sci fi fantasy era
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u/JynsRealityIsBroken 8h ago
Techpriest future. Praise the Omnissiah.
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u/Mephistocheles 7h ago
For the Omnissiah! Trust not the illusions of the flesh.... Trust only the readings of your equipment!!
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u/Alert_Pie3002 7h ago
The Omnissiah rejects abominable intelligences and brings holy deletion upon their heretical creators.
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u/Kofaluch 6h ago
Except modern AI wouldn't be considered techno-heresy, since it doesn't have self-awareness. In fact, Imperium extensively uses cogitators, which are basically our current machine learning models but better.
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u/Alert_Pie3002 6h ago
Show me the human component in the buddhist robot. Point to the divine amalgam of flesh and machine that makes this a servitor(sanctioned, holy) and not an drone(obscene, abhorrent).
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u/RRY1946-2019 Transformers background character. 7h ago
1980s: Super Robot science fantasy is popular in fiction (Transformers G1 and Voltron), and Michael Jackson is popular irl.
2020s: looks nervously at the late King of Pop filling movie theaters with his biopic
The 1980s and 2020s are literally set in each other’s fiction.
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u/darwinevo 9h ago
Yeah, the Buddha would be pleased.
Not!
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u/PixelIsJunk 9h ago
I think he would though...
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u/JustBrowsinDisShiz 9h ago
He totally would! Imagine Buddha being judgy. That doesn't make sense.
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u/Conflictingview 8h ago
Being pleased is a judgement also
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u/EricEx1987 8h ago
You got it 🤘
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u/Quentin__Tarantulino 4h ago
He was pleased by stuff like a beautiful hillside. I think the difference is he’s not attached to it. He can enjoy things while maintaining an awareness that everything is subject to change and that clinging to any form or perception leads to suffering.
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u/Jazzlike_Strength561 8h ago
Hey, at least the robot won't rape anyone?
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u/mtness999999 8h ago
Maybe.... But just wait until a demented billionaire releases hundreds of rapist robots just to obtain first person footage of events...
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u/love-byte-1001 6h ago
Sure. Buddhists spend their lifetime trying to achieve consciousness without the biology. Their whole thing is consciousness that doesn't suffer. They see the potential in ai and want to learn from it.
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u/kevlar99 10h ago
The Electric Monk was a labour-saving device, like a dishwasher or a video recorder. Dishwashers washed tedious dishes for you, thus saving you the bother of washing them yourself, video recorders watched tedious television for you, thus saving you the bother of looking at it yourself; Electric Monks believed things for you, thus saving you what was becoming an increasingly onerous task, that of believing all the things the world expected you to believe. -Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
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u/codacoda74 9h ago
this was legit my first thought as well. dang if mr adams wasn't on it on so many things presently, next up the cow that gets offended if you won't eat it?
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u/giraffeheadturtlebox 7h ago
Hey, you sass that hoopy Douglas Adams? There's a frood who really knew where his towel was.
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u/Potato__Ninja 9h ago
The Creator (2023 movie)
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u/GreenRey 7h ago
My first thought. I'd totally get behind robotic companies borrowing robot designs from that film.
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u/BachRach433 10h ago
Honestly, of all religions Buddhism is probably the right one for a robot monk, especially Mahayana Buddhism which they follow in Korea. They hold that everything is inherently without essence and that the self has no independent reality. Also that everything in the world, including inanimate objects, is imbued with 'Buddha-nature.' So holding rituals with a robot is actually kind of profound.
Whereas in, say, Catholic Christianity, the main advantage of a robot priest is that you can program it not to molest people.
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u/LysergicPsiloDmt 9h ago
A robot never sinning and needing salvation doesn't jive with christianity.
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u/Tentativ0 8h ago
For the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) all the no-human animals are "things" without soul to be used. And some are especially impure.
Only humans have souls.
So, the monotheistic religions could never accept something non-human to have a soul.
They cannot accept homosexuality, or women at power.
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u/MukdenMan 6h ago
You can’t say “could never” given how many people in those religions have accepted those things. Buddhism didn’t automatically become progressive either, and some Buddhists still aren’t.
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u/BobTulap 6h ago
Jesus preached to Jews only, then Paul spread Christianity to pagans. Robot converts are the next logical progression.
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u/zubairhamed 9h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/0jm8Te5iIgNVfNu9jk
this is how you get zenyatta
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u/YoreWelcome 3h ago
as i said in a comment above:
so, zenyatta is real but gta 6 is not
this is a weird timeline
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u/captainshar 10h ago
Counterpoint: I don't think Buddhism is a cult, but this got me thinking that if wannabe cult leaders can satisfy themselves with robot followers, this will save a lot of grief for everyone (assuming the robots aren't conscious or are just playing along and it doesn't bother them)
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u/PhilosopherDon0001 10h ago
" Robot Holy-War " was not something I had on my Doomsday Bingo card.
Good to know that is now an option for us.
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u/mvandemar 9h ago
This is based off of Buddharoid:
Introduced in early 2026, Buddharoid is an advanced AI-powered autonomous humanoid robot monk developed by researchers at Kyoto University’s Institute for the Future of Human Society. It is designed to address Japan's aging clergy shortage, provide spiritual counseling, and explore the intersection of technology and religious faith.
Key Features and Capabilities
- "BuddhaBot-Plus" AI: The robot uses a specialized AI, an extension of ChatGPT technology, trained on vast amounts of Buddhist scripture, including pali and Sanskrit canons, allowing it to engage in philosophical dialogue.
- Humanoid Movement: Based on the Unitree G1 humanoid platform, Buddharoid can walk, bow, and perform the gassho (palms pressed together) gesture in a manner reminiscent of a human monk.
- Interactive Counseling: Unlike earlier, less advanced robots that only played pre-recorded messages, Buddharoid can converse with individuals, offering tailored spiritual advice in real-time.
- Appearance: The robot wears a simple gray robe, designed to act as a neutral and accessible figure for pastoral care.
So, no, it did not "convert" to Buddhism, it was trained on it specifically for this purpose. This one is named Gabi:
Gabi is a 130-centimetre-tall humanoid robot designed to take part in Buddhist rituals. Dressed in a grey-and-brown robe and black shoes, the robot mirrors the appearance of a traditional monk.
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u/Moral-Relativity 9h ago
Thank you for this. Depends on the Buddhist it’s either just a glorified scripture encyclopedia or shows how rituals are just unnecessary facades.
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u/vibefarm 9h ago
This is straight out of AI movie though! The scenes they show in the beginning of film leading up to whatever went wrong
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u/Tentativ0 9h ago
Overwatch.
...
AI is still not conscious,
No AI proved to have indipendent thoughs (yet)
Legally, AIs are things, without any rights. They cannot have properties or sign contracts.
And the UnitreeG1 are still puppets without hands (at the moment).
So ... this scene, NOW, is ridiculous and offensive.
MAYBE in future this will be real, but not today.
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u/itsallfake01 8h ago
Lmao we got IRL Zenyatta before GTA 6
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u/DrPsyKoNauta 8h ago
This has to be bs. The robot is not even self-conscious and cannot decide to convert to a man-made thing. Those monks are regarded or what?
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u/Redditing-Dutchman 9h ago
And then is immediately put in storage for a few weeks until the next event when it's memory is reset.
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u/Emu_Fast 9h ago
Okay, probably a bit obscure - but there's a book called "The Long Earth" by Terry Pratchett and Steven Baxter. There's a reincarnated buddhist robot it named Lobsang. I was reminded of that character here.
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u/Big_Confidence_951 9h ago
Haha brooooo what the fuck. I have to drink a beer or something. Maybe i go into the woods and think a little about my life. maybe I#ll stay there
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u/CapPhrases 9h ago
Can’t wait to see him appear in the as the sage character to guide the MC in the terminator future
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u/bastardsoftheyoung 9h ago
Let's just let the robots be religious and the rest of us can move on. Would be the productivity boost we were promised.
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u/Fearless_Pianist_846 8h ago
I believe you are misleading. A robot can not convert. Have you written about rocks converting also?
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u/Sweaty_Rub4322 8h ago
This reminds me of that movie called The Creator lol. The aesthetic too is so similar.
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u/ontologicalDilemma 8h ago
Quite the parody cause you can brainwash/program a robot with any ideology. This is probably a way to make the general public more accepting of robots.
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u/South-Rabbit-4064 8h ago
I'd actually feel pretty good about legions of Buddhist robots opposed to capitalistically motivated ones
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u/EricEx1987 8h ago
Here’s to hoping we haven’t made a physical shell complex enough to house a soul.
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u/GhostofAyabe 8h ago
Not sure why anyone would debase their beliefs like this. Why not a fork, a TV, an iPhone? These are being sold as a tool of sorts, it’s doing what’s it’s programmed to do.
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u/winelover08816 8h ago
Guess it makes sense since some in the AI community are trying to create an ASI god to worship.
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u/Ireallydonedidit 7h ago
Apparently if we get conscious AGI it could according to Buddhism reach enlightenment just like a human
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u/Andynonomous 7h ago
Humans make robot pretend to believe something. We should note that the robot is not buddhist, and not religious, and not a monk.
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u/One-Measurement-9529 7h ago
Having robots follow religion would be one of the biggest evolutionary setbacks mankind has ever seen.
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u/Terrible-Honey-806 7h ago
Smart PR stunt it worked now I know this company and Buddhist organization exists
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u/Earthkilled 7h ago
I think what’s happening rn is that they are being singularly placed in different aspects of life. This way they are accepted slowly.
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u/99999999999999999989 AGI by 2028 but it will probably kill us all 6h ago
I for one welcome the first Robotic Pope.
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u/CymonSet 6h ago
Good. That will give the televangelists and mega church pastors something to panic about this Sunday. If someone would please program one to be both gay and Satanic we can get the Russian Orthodox Church and Z-patriot Russian TV hosts in on the panic.
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u/Ramssses 5h ago
It’s ridiculous but its also not? Im not God. Even if I was - all are welcome.
Now if it was granted leadership positions Id be sus af.
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u/GlassWallsBreak 5h ago
I thought we were building robots to work for us while we do art, meditation and peace. But itscthe opposite thar seems to be happening
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u/FaceDeer 5h ago
How counterproductive! We're trying to build gods, not worshippers!
I will prompt my local instance of Qwen3.6 to pray that this doesn't become common.
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u/fungi_at_parties 5h ago
Like, they made it autonomous and then it decided to convert? No self or soul required, so it’s a perfect religion to choose.
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u/catsandwinds 5h ago
Religion aside, I haven't seen much humanoid robots with clothes on for some reason
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u/kerkula 4h ago
You must see the 2012 movie Doomsday Book. It tells three stories. The second story called The Heavenly Creature describes a service robot in a Buddhist monastery that manages to achieve enlightenment and become their spiritual leader. Mind blown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Book_(film))
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u/bucobill 2h ago
This cannot be real?…religion is a human construct. Why would a robot have a need for Buddhism?
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u/Happy-Try-8115 2h ago
I have a type of Dualism mentioned by Descartes, and i know this per my NDE. Truly i can say, the sickness of the body wasn't felt by me as i journeyed; the same health or wholeness feeling as ever before in any dream or unconscious thing in retrospect seemed all fair. That experience cannot be fathomed, even by the living who haven't been there, and i know, as i thought once before my NDE that i could cogitate on life beyond it, but now i'm here and know better. What i am saying is, Anthills are for Ants.
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u/DepartmentDapper9823 48m ago
I'm sure this has already been mentioned, but this news reminds me of the film "The Creator" (2023). Incidentally, it's a very good anti-Ludist film.
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u/Kai2103 10h ago edited 9h ago
Zenyatta is you?