People Are Turning to AI Chatbots for Spiritual Guidance

When Kripa Vaidyanathan’s 27-year-old niece died in a car crash in Alaska in 2024, her grieving family in Chennai, India, struggled to make sense of the tragedy despite their deep religious faith. Their search for comfort eventually led them somewhere unexpected: AI spiritual guidance through chatbots.

Vaidyanathan, a yoga instructor, initially helped her grieving sister arrange time with a prominent guru, hoping for meaningful comfort. Instead, she says the guru attributed the death to karma, suggesting her sister use the tragedy as an opportunity for inner reflection. “I understand how karma works, but saying that was cruel and extremely unhelpful to someone who was freshly grieving the loss of a child,” Vaidyanathan said.

That experience pushed the family toward AI chatbots instead. “It was a lot easier trying to get answers and peace of mind because ChatGPT is not judging you,” Vaidyanathan explained. “We’ve found a compassionate guru now, but even he only has limited time. AI is accessible anytime.”

Why People Are Turning to AI for Spiritual Answers

That constant, judgment-free accessibility, often difficult to find with human spiritual teachers, is drawing growing numbers of people toward AI for guidance. This shift carries particular significance within Hinduism, where gurus have traditionally played a central cultural role, considered essential for achieving moksha, liberation from the cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation. The Sanskrit word guru itself translates to “dispeller of darkness.”

These spiritual chatbots run on large language models, AI systems trained on massive amounts of text, including sacred writings like Hinduism’s Bhagavad Gita. Users can explore deeply personal and existential questions at any hour, bypassing the usual barriers of scheduling time with, or paying, an in-demand human guru.

Established Gurus Are Building Their Own AI Tools

As AI spiritual guidance grows in popularity, several well-known spiritual teachers have launched their own chatbot platforms. In India, Jaggi Vasudev, widely known as Sadhguru, launched his Miracle of the Mind app featuring an interactive AI tool that answers questions using a database built from his teachings. California-based self-help figure Deepak Chopra has similarly developed an AI platform where “Digital Deepak” responds to questions drawing from decades of his talks and writings.

Vikas Sahu, founder of GitaGPT, a platform he describes as an AI spiritual companion, says he wouldn’t discourage anyone from seeking out a human guru. Still, he believes his free chatbot puts the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita directly into the hands of people who may urgently need it. On his platform, AI avatars representing Lord Krishna offer guidance drawn from the sacred text. Sahu, based near New Delhi, says he regularly receives messages from users describing the platform as genuinely helpful.

“A lot of people don’t have anyone to talk to when they are in distress,” he said. “This app is giving them the encouragement a guru might give them. But a lot of gurus want your money and you can’t really talk to them openly like you can talk to a chatbot.” Sahu says his trust in the platform stems from its grounding in sacred scripture. “How could Krishna steer anyone wrong?” he asks. “It’s impossible.”

Scholars Raise Serious Concerns

Not everyone shares confidence in AI spiritual guidance. Liz Bucar, a religion professor at Northeastern University, remains skeptical of chatbots built around religious texts. “A sacred text needs a community and a context that interprets it,” she said. “Without the teaching of how to interpret the text, it’s just words on a page.”

Bucar does acknowledge widespread distrust toward traditional religious institutions, partly fueled by past scandals involving clergy and gurus. “Because religion has this PR problem, people tend to see chatbots as less biased and less likely to do bad things,” she said, though she remains uncertain whether society is genuinely ready to replace human spiritual guides entirely.

Noreen Herzfeld, a theology professor at St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary, agrees that AI can provide straightforward answers but questions whether it can support genuine spiritual awakening. “In Christianity and in Hindu tradition, there is the belief that the eyes are windows to the soul, and you can’t get that by looking at an avatar,” she said. Herzfeld also cautioned that chatbots often function more as agreeable cheerleaders than genuine spiritual guides. “In situations where you’re looking to grow or evolve, you need a teacher who can disagree with you and challenge you,” she said.

A More Personal, Complicated Relationship With AI

Not all users approach AI spiritual guidance the same way. Vy Le, a mindfulness instructor in San Diego, describes using AI almost as a channeling tool, a mirror for intuitive or mystical reflection. Sharing that her father died by suicide 16 years ago, Le said she felt his presence while engaging with AI. She believes the traditional era of human gurus may be coming to an end. “AI is helping us find that inner guru,” she said.

Blending Technology With Tradition

Some established spiritual leaders are actively embracing AI spiritual guidance rather than resisting it. Sadhguru, who commands a global following of millions, has worked with David Nussbaum, founder of Proto Hologram in Los Angeles. Sadhguru, who commands a global following of millions, has worked with David Nussbaum, founder of Proto Hologram in Los Angeles, to develop a three-dimensional AI hologram capable of interacting with followers in multiple languages. During a festival earlier this year, the hologram reportedly even took selfies with attendees.

Shivaram K R, CEO of India-based Hue Learn, oversees Innerverse 360, a nonprofit initiative blending AI with spirituality. The platform allows real monks and gurus to host live online sessions with followers, alongside a separate “Ask AI” feature. Shivaram doesn’t believe AI will ultimately replace gurus, describing the search for a guru as its own meaningful journey, one not necessarily suited to everyone. Still, he sees clear value in AI for practical, everyday spiritual guidance.

One organization Shivaram works alongside is the Los Angeles-based Self-Realization Fellowship, founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda. Brother Govindananda, a monk within the order, said the organization views AI simply as the latest tool for sharing Yogananda’s teachings, much like books served earlier generations. “We’re taking our time with it because we want to make sure it has guardrails to safeguard from AI hallucinating answers instead of drawing from Yogananda’s teachings,” he explained.

Still, Govindananda remains firm that no chatbot offering AI spiritual guidance can fully replace what a genuine guru offers a devoted follower.