Need Spiritual Guidance? Gurus Join Chatbot Trend as People Turn to AI for Answers – WTOP News
Developers say the tools offer 24/7 answers from sacred texts and teachers, while critics warn they lack the lived wisdom of human gurus.
- Growing numbers of people are turning to AI chatbots for spiritual guidance, seeking accessible alternatives to traditional human gurus. These digital tools offer immediate, non-judgmental support for existential questions.
- Seeking relief after a family tragedy, Kripa Vaidyanathan turned to ChatGPT when a high-profile guru offered only karma explanations. Vikas Sahu, founder of GitaGPT, says his platform puts Bhagavad Gita wisdom at the fingertips of those in distress.
- Technology-Driven initiatives are expanding as India-based Sadhguru uses interactive holograms and Shivaram oversees the nonprofit Innerverse 360. The Los Angeles-based Self-Realization Fellowship, founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda, views AI as a modern portal for teaching.
- Noreen Herzfeld, a professor at St. Johns School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota, cautions that spiritual awakening requires physical presence. "The eyes are windows to the soul and you can't get that by looking at an avatar," she said.
- Distrust of institutional expertise is driving younger users toward AI, according to Northeastern University professor Liz Bucar in Boston. Mindfulness instructor Vy Le in San Diego maintains that the era of traditional gurus is over.
13 Articles
13 Articles
‘ChatGPT is not judging you’: Indians turn to AI gurus for answers
When Kripa Vaidyanathan’s 27-year-old niece died in an Alaska car crash in 2024, her family in Chennai, India, felt shell-shocked. They questioned why this tragedy would befall them when they had such “immense faith in God”. Vaidyanathan, a yoga instructor, helped her grieving sister get face time with a high-profile guru whom she hoped would help. “But he told her this was the work of karma and she should use this opportunity to connect with he…
Gurus are joining the chatbot trend as people turn to AI for spiritual guidance
When Kripa Vaidyanathan’s 27-year-old niece died in an Alaska car crash in 2024, her family in Chennai, India, felt shell-shocked. They questioned why this tragedy would befall them when they had such “immense faith in God.”Vaidyanathan, a yoga instructor, helped her grieving sister get face time with a high-profile guru who she hoped would help.“But he told her this was the work of karma and she should use this opportunity to connect with her i…
Associated Press News
Need spiritual guidance? Gurus join chatbot trend as people turn to AI for answers
An increasing number of spiritual seekers are finding that artificial intelligence is giving them non-judgmental access to spiritual insights.
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