The Radical Movement to Worship AI as a New God

The Kodaiji Temple, a place of worship for Zen Buddhists, is nestled in a quaint ward in Kyoto, Japan. To get to it, pilgrims and visitors need to traverse a bamboo grove and a Japanese garden to arrive at the spot where it has been standing for more than 400 years. The temple welcomes worshippers from the world over—with many drawn to its enigmatic priest.

Mindar is 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 132 pounds, and has been preaching at the historic temple since 2019. The priest is well-versed in the Heart Sutra, a popular and sacred mantra in Buddhism, and can often be found in the temple sermonizing it for pilgrims. But Mindar is no ordinary preacher. Actuators whirr as its aluminum arms wave. Mindar’s face, made of a pale silicone, contorts uncannily as it recites the Heart Sutra. A close look into the eyes reveals the aperture of a camera gazing out at the visitors who have come to pray.

Mindar is a humanoid robot engineered by a team at Osaka University as the embodiment of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and a bodhisattva. It’s designed to bridge the gap between traditional religious practices with the modern world, marrying emerging technologies like AI and robotics with centuries-old spiritualism.

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