Hye Ahn, Korea's first Buddhist artificial intelligence (AI) robot monk developed by Dongguk University's AI Safety Robot Innovation Reserach Center led by professor Lim Joong-yeon, puts its hands together under lotus lanterns at the university's campus in Seoul, May 14. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
For Buddhists — and those curious about the tradition — this weekend marks a major moment of celebration. Temples across the country are already crowded with visitors hoping to take in the festive atmosphere ahead of Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on Sunday.
For many, however, the occasion is more introspective: a time to reflect on the past year and renew a commitment to live in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings.
This year, in the lead-up to the holiday, one unexpected topic has captured curious glances and sparked conversations in Korea — robot monks marching at last weekend’s Lotus Lantern Festival in Seoul.
Hye Ahn was one of them. Unlike the headline-grabbing Gabi, a humanoid monk built on China’s Unitree G1 robot platform and recently ordained by Korea’s Jogye Order, Hye Ahn was not built for spectacle.
Standing 130 centimeters tall — about the size of a 9-year-old child — the robot monk rolls on a wheeled base, its rounded, cartoon-like face and softly curved body designed to feel less like a cold machine and more like a friendly novice a visitor might approach for advice.
Artificial intelligence robot monk Hye Ahn marches during the Lotus Lantern Festival parade in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Lim Joong-yeon
Developed at Buddhist-founded Dongguk University by robotics professor Lim Joong-yeon, Hye Ahn is Korea’s first Buddhist robot monk — Gabi was built by the Chinese company Unitree — created specifically to listen to people’s worries and respond with teachings drawn from Buddhist scripture.
Lim, who leads the university’s AI Safety Robot Innovation Center and ROMA Lab, is better known for his work on industrial robotics and safety systems than for spiritual applications. But as he watched Korea’s temples grapple with a shrinking and aging clergy — alongside increasingly isolated worshippers — he saw an opportunity for a different kind of religious technology.
“Buddhism’s spirit of compassion and non-harm must be our clearest design principle,” Lim said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “Provide comfort, but never cross the line into replacing human relationships.”
Source: Korea Times News
