'Hey Buddha': Japan researchers create AI enlightenment tool
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Loading... - Donghai Huang
- 24 Oct 2022
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The software, co-developed by a team of religion and computing academics at Kyoto University, has been programmed to memorise around 1,000 teachings from Buddhist texts such as the Sutta Nipata and Dhammapada.
Users seeking enlightenment can question a Buddha avatar that pops up on their phone screen.
"Sharpen your observations and explore the various reasons behind the doom. Only then can you experience happiness," was the answer AFP received to the question above.
An augmented reality backdrop shows the pint-sized Buddha sitting cross-legged within the real-life surroundings captured by the device's camera.
And an artificial intelligence dialogue system dubbed "Buddhabot" is behind the tech, which is still in testing stages and not yet available to the general public.
Smartphone meditation apps have become hugely popular worldwide, offering specialised audio for situations from coping with bereavement to getting through a difficult day at work.
The AI Buddha, developed with the help of an IT company, is also intended as a therapeutic distraction from "the increasingly stressful real world", from Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine, said Seiji Kumagai, a key developer of the software at Kyoto University. Read More...
