Gabi led a procession of chanting Buddhist monks to Jogye Temple in Seoul on Wednesday. Wearing a ceremonial taupe robe, black shoes, a rosary and body gloves, Gabi held her hands up in prayer.
“Will you devote yourself to the holy Buddha?” asked one of the monks: according to YonhapKorean News Agency.
“Yes, I’ll take care of myself,” Gabi replied.
“Will you pursue the holy teachings?” asked the monk.
“Yes, I’ll take care of myself,” Gabi replied.
If these answers sound robotic, that’s because Gabi is, in fact, a robot.
At just over four feet tall, Gabi became South Korea’s first robot monk when she entered the Jogye Order, the country’s largest Buddhist sect. The name Gabi is the Korean word for mercy.
“We tried to give a name that is not too difficult to pronounce and is old-fashioned, and a name that means spreading the Buddha’s grace around the world,” Venerable Seong Won, who oversees cultural affairs at the Jogye Order, told Yonhap.
The robot is the latest effort by monks in the country to show the modern meaning of Buddhism. Introduced to Korea around the 4th century, the religion saw a decline in popularity and practice.
In January, Venerable Jinwoo, President of the Jogye Order, committed to incorporating artificial intelligence into tradition in his annual New Year’s speech.
During Wednesday’s ceremony, Monk Gabi handed down five precepts, or vows, for the Buddhist robot to live by: to respect life and not harm it; not damaging other robots and objects; following people and not talking to them; not act or speak deceptively; and saves energy and does not overcharge.
The order developed the rules using chatbots Gemini and ChatGPT AI, Yonhap reported.
Noah Namgoong, a Zen instructor at the Jo-Gei of America Korean Buddhist Temple in New York, said the robot is “a pretty weird thing” that speaks to “something socioeconomic rather than spiritual.”
Buddhism has never been a proselytizing religion, said Sujung Kim, a professor of anthropology at Johns Hopkins University who focuses on Buddhism in East Asia. However, the introduction of the robot monk may be a play to enhance the social capital and cultural presence of the religion, especially considering the temple’s prominent location in the center of Seoul.
The robot monk, she said, is “a very unique visibility marketing strategy.”
Presented by Kyoto University in Japan similar robot in February, who was able to learn the scriptures and provide feedback to people seeking guidance, said Dr. Kim. In contrast, Korean media showed videos of Gabi waving her arms instead of bowing.
While its abilities may be limited, the Korean robot tackles a central theme of Buddhism: What does it really mean to be a human being?
“The thing about this question is that it’s beyond logic, reasoning, and the ability to think,” Mr. Namgoong said, making it difficult for the robot to truly reason because it “doesn’t have a mind.”
But as far as the monk’s social function is concerned, perhaps she could be of some service.
“A monk is there to basically help other people be free,” he said. “So if this robot can help others break free, it can be useful.
