In recent decades, we have witnessed a true expansion of Artificial intelligence in different areas of society. However, few of us imagined that technology would reach the sacred rituals of religions around the world. However, this is what already happens in the world, starting with the robots that perform Hindu rituals in India.
A 'worshipping' robot
see more
Employee prohibits children from sleeping when they arrive at daycare
8 signs that show that anxiety was present in your…
It all started in 2017, when an Indian technology company began to develop a kind of mechanical arm capable of performing worship rituals. In this case, the arm would have the function of swinging a lamp to the Hindu god Ganesha, which symbolizes the victory of light over the surrounding darkness.
Needless to say, previously this was a function of the devotees themselves, which has already caused outrage. However, this was not enough to stop the growth of the use of technology in the sacred rituals of Hinduism. In this way, other technological innovations invaded Hindu temples, which does not seem to please the faithful.
Among these new technologies is the introduction of a robotic elephant in sacred temples. For devotees, this use of technology is an omen that the future will be bad and that this can arouse the wrath of the gods. Furthermore, there is another latent issue, which is the fear of a possible replacement by the machine.
The end of human worship?
Studies on the restlessness surrounding the use of technology in any area of society is the fear of substitution. Proof of this is the fear with the use of ChatGPT and a possible end of the textual production of human beings. However, this fear is aggravated when it comes to a robot whose purpose is to worship a god.
In this way, researchers claim that it is possible to feel among Hindu devotees the fear that the gods will compare them with the robots. After all, robots could perform functions in the temple with greater quality than humans, which could be a very big problem for them. Still, the technology remains in full use in India's temples.
