Japan’s new humanoid ‘Buddharoid,’ powered by a ChatGPT-based system trained on Buddhist scripture, represents a bold step toward integrating AI into spiritual practice amid demographic and cultural shifts. (Source: Image by RR)

Buddharoid Is Powered by a ChatGPT-Based System Called BuddhaBot-Plus

Researchers at Kyoto University have introduced Buddharoid, a humanoid robot trained on sacred Buddhist texts and designed to offer spiritual guidance inside temple settings. Equipped with “BuddhaBot-Plus,” an AI chatbot built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the robot can speak, gesture, bow, and perform traditional prayer postures while responding to personal and philosophical questions like a human priest.

During a recent temple demonstration, the grey-robed humanoid — built on a Unitree G1 platform — addressed attendees with human-like movements, including respectful bows and hands clasped in prayer. When asked for advice on relationships, Buddharoid replied in a calm baritone that reflection and inner balance are key, drawing directly from Buddhist teachings. The initiative, as noted in interestingengineering.com, is led by Seiji Kumagai of Kyoto University’s Institute for the Future of Human Society, who also serves as a monk.

Buddharoid follows earlier experiments like Mindar, a robotic priest introduced in 2019 at Kyoto’s 400-year-old Kodai-ji Temple. Like its predecessor, Buddharoid is trained on Buddhist scripture and powered by advanced language models to simulate the communication style of a human monk. However, the addition of increasingly capable AI systems gives the new robot greater conversational flexibility and contextual awareness.

The rise of robotic clergy comes as Japan grapples with an aging population and declining rural communities, leaving many temples understaffed and financially strained. Researchers argue that humanoid priests could help preserve rituals, deliver sermons, and sustain engagement where human clergy are scarce. The development also raises broader questions about the role of AI in spiritual life, as automation begins to move beyond digital chatbots and into embodied religious practice.

read more at interestingengineering.com