AI Japanese researchers unveil Buddhabot Plus, a humanoid robot for Buddhist dialogue

A research team led by Kyoto University professor Kumagaia Seiji and AI startup Teraverse has developed a humanoid robot designed to engage in Buddhist dialogue using generative artificial intelligence. Kyoto University's Institute for the Future of Human Society and Teraverse unveiled the robot on 24 February. The "Buddhabot Plus" system was developed in 2023 and trained on early Buddhist scriptures, including recorded exchanges between the Buddha and his disciples. Modelled on a human monk, the robot performs slow, formal movements suited to temple settings. Developers say it could serve as a consultation partner for people hesitant to speak with clergy and may also assist with religious ceremonies amid staffing shortages at temples.

Modelled on human monks, the robot can perform solemn movements suitable for religious spaces. It is expected to serve as a consultation partner for topics difficult to discuss with human monks and to fill in for human monks at religious ceremonies to address staffing shortages. They initially developed a non-generative Buddhist dialogue AI called "Buddhabot" in 2021. In 2022, they added Buddhist AR (augmented reality) technology to enable visual and auditory communication, and this time, they incorporated "physicality." According to the group, Christianity has robots modelled after nuns and angels, and Buddhism has reported developments of robots modelled after Kannon Bodhisattva or chanting monks, some with dialogue functions. However, this may be the first implementation of a religious AI humanoid robot capable of bipedal walking, full-body movements similar to humans, and natural verbal dialogue in face-to-face environments involving physical contact.

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The base humanoid robot is manufactured by Unitree Robotics, headquartered in Hangzhou, China. It has been trained to perform actions such as walking at a gentle, solemn pace, bowing to show respect to others, and making gestures of prayer toward Buddha, bodhisattvas, and senior monks. The Buddhabot Plus uses the latest version of ChatGPT. It responds to users' questions and consultations with phrases from Buddhist scriptures, providing interpretations and additional explanations. The standard voice is that of a young man, but the gender and age can be adjusted.

That mask gives it a passing resemblance to something from The Squid Game.
Perhaps more research could be done on promoting interactions between humans, so important for a healthy society, instead of developing yet another way to avoid human contact.

I wish the bot was available for dialogue online. I'd enjoy a chat about Buddhism!