By RYOSUKE NONAKA/ Staff Writer
March 29, 2021 at 18:16 JST
The demonstration screen of AI-based “Buddhabot” with a question and an answer (Provided by the research team)
KYOTO--Resembling something out of cyberpunk fiction, a research team including a Buddhist temple has created an AI-based chatbot called “Buddhabot,” which stands in for priests and answers questions from troubled souls.
The priests, however, aren’t afraid their digital counterpart will eventually replace them.
“AI won’t rob us of our jobs,” said Koshin Higashifushimi, chief steward of Tendai Sect Shorenin Monzeki temple, which was instrumental in developing the Buddhabot.
“If we compare Buddhism to music, live music is a temple and humans, AI is like a compact disc.”
Seiji Kumagai, an associate professor of Buddhism studies at Kyoto University, decided to develop an AI-based chatbot with Higashifushimi and business entrepreneurs while studying scientific methods to address people’s concerns.
A team led by Kyoto University and Tendai Sect Shorenin Monzeki temple has recently announced the development of the Buddhabot that had learned Buddhist sutras to console people who consult it.
They plan to make the Buddhabot available to the public after doing more work to improve it and hope that people will become more familiar with Buddhist teachings through using it.
Buddhism is increasingly becoming less popular because it only has social contact through tourism or funerals, Kumagai said, making it lose its substance.
“I think Buddhism needs to regain its essence of teaching the way to happiness,” Kumagai said.
The team equipped the Buddhabot with the Sutta Nipata, believed to be the oldest Buddhist sutra, using more than 100 questions in a question-and-answer format.
In just a few seconds, the Buddhabot can provide the answers that are best-suited to people seeking advice.
One student asked the Buddhabot what he should do to ease his anxiety about having his life centered around a doctoral course at the university.
“Hotheads or lazy people can’t gain wisdom or academic knowledge,” it replied.
For the moment, the Buddhabot is just being used for research. Before becoming available to the public, it will be outfitted with more Buddhist sutras and updated to give more appropriate answers to users' questions during test operations.
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