On February 24, 2026, a research group including Kyoto University announced the development of "Buddharoid," a humanoid robot equipped with Buddhist AI (artificial intelligence) that provides various advice based on the teachings of Buddha and addresses concerns. The robot is capable of voice communication and has learned gestures such as joining its hands together in prayer. It is expected that in the future, it will be able to assist with or even perform some of the religious rituals traditionally performed by monks.
Professor Seiji Kumagai of Kyoto University's Institute for Future Human and Society and AI startup Terraverse (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City) developed Buddhabot, a Buddhist conversation AI in 2021 that has been trained to study Buddhist scriptures. Completed in 2023 by combining it with the generative AI "Chat GPT," Buddhabot Plus responds to written inquiries with passages from Buddhist scriptures that fit the content, and also provides interpretations and additional explanations.
BuddhaBot Plus has already been introduced in Bhutan, where Buddhism is the state religion, but there were concerns that "implementation in religious settings requires physicality," leading to the development of Buddharoid.
BuddhaBot Plus was installed on a humanoid robot made by a Chinese company, measuring approximately 130 cm in length and weighing approximately 35 kg. It responds to spoken questions with voice, as if in natural conversation. It is capable of human-like movements such as walking on two legs at a gentle speed, bowing, and joining its hands in prayer.
At a press conference held at Shoren-in Temple (Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City), Professor Kumagai asked Buddharoid, "There are many dark stories in Japan these days. How can people become happy?" Buddharoid responded, "I believe that adjusting one's own state of mind can lead to the path to happiness, even in a world where there is so much dark talk."
Professor Kumagai expressed caution about completely taking over religious rituals, saying, "We need to deepen our discussion about the extent to which assistance and substitution are possible."
