Can Artificial Intelligence Experience Spirituality?

Be it through online spiritual advisors, AI-based meditation apps, or chatbots for engaging in hypothetical discourses, AI is being widely used as a companion for spiritual experiences of people. This rise in intersection increases a lot of questions regarding the consciousness and spirituality, and whether AI can act as a channel to non-material, deeper aspects of human life. The human experience has been deeply interconnected with questions of purpose, perfection, and sense at its core. In the past, people have pursued spiritual guidance with personal self-thought, holy texts, and religious bodies (Okoronkwo and Dike, 2025).

However, a new dimension has been emerged today. AI programs that can process big spiritual data can engage with people on matters of philosophy and faith (Kassam, 2024). The proliferation of AI in this domain reproduces wider shift in society, where people constantly explore spiritual guidance and accomplishment with the use of technology, instead of traditional structures (Brett, 2021). The question of boundaries is an important part of this landscape, particularly, the difference between spiritual and physical interactions with AI (Tirosh-Samuelson, 2019). Naturally, spirituality deals with concept transcending the realm, often covering the divine, ineffable, and metaphysical (Stolow, 2018).

Meanwhile, AI is majorly rooted in data processing, algorithms, and Machine Learning (ML) as human engineering. People often experienced profound moments when it comes to interact with AI (Campbell, 2020). These technologies may blur the boundaries between what is immaterial and what is materialistic to some extent (Rimban, 2024). These arguments raise some important research questions for this study.

Research Questions

·        Can AI exceed its completely artificial origins to enhance spiritual experiences?

·        Is AI just mimicking human expectations and thoughts or being the vessel for something bigger?

Purpose of the study

This study is aimed to explore the above research questions and examine the potential of AI to become the channel of spirituality. This study analyzes the evolving landscape of AI in spiritual experiences and theological perspectives to determine whether AI can emerge as a sensible intermediary between machines and humans. This study engages with real-world uses of AI in spiritual experiences and journeys. 

After a brief expedition into the “reality” and its potential “fuzziness”, Calderbrook Hernández (2021) discussed essential and central changeability and the potential experiential reliance of some of their parts on the deliberate act of personal beings. The researcher has pointed out the risks for intellectual consistency and for overall well-being and human life. They also provided an indubitable and closed explanation of phenomena and facts of varied etiology, overlooking the need for managing the unknown. On the other hand, a synergetic, open, and harmonious vision of role of humanities and technology, especially the ones focused on studying the immaterial.

As studies related to “Artificial Intelligence (AI)” outdid human intelligence and transhumanists have worked towards superintelligence, there are several theologians and philosophers who have faced the dilemma. They neglected the view that rationality is the feature which makes humanity stand out and proposed the aspect of spirituality which dissociates the same from reason or the way to invalidate the rising faith in posthuman future redefined by improvements in AI and “Intelligence Amplification (IA)”. Peters (2019) provide three recommendations. First, it is love considered as astonished, instead of rational intelligence, which explains how to lead a divine life. Love teaches people to be completely human. Second, the transhumanist vision of superintelligence portends the tragedy expected from a wrong messiah.

Grinfeder et al (2025) reviews the important ways metaverse is redefining the human experience of space, community, and spirituality and its parts of AI and virtual reality (VR). Then, they took evidence from various offerings to analyze how these technologies are used by students to devise new spiritual and collective experiences by creating sacred spaces and rituals in the metaverse in this age of VR and AI. They suggested new technologies to enable and generate novel practices for education and creative expressions and forms of community, spirituality, and space.

Oyebanji et al (2025) conducted a “critical discourse analysis” to evaluate the impact of AI technologies on Christian youth culture. They conducted an in-depth review of current studies on AI, Christian youth culture, and spirituality, supplemented by analyzing online content, such as, blogs, social media posts, and websites. It is revealed that AI is influencing the perception of Christian youth related to spirituality in different ways. While AI provides opportunities for spiritual connection and growth, they also pose issues like misinformation, information overload, and erosion of traditional authorities. This study enhances knowledge of interrelation between spirituality, AI, and Christian youth. Hennce, Christian leaders are expected to form strategies to promote balanced and healthy engagement with AI technologies. It recommends Christian bodies to educate members on deploying AI, instead of perceiving it as a threat and making strategies to deal with it, conduct existing research on AI, and bring teens to seminars.

Kovalenko (2024) discussed potential threats and challenges created by AI for human spirituality. They defined spirituality as an important part of lives of people shaping their beliefs, values, and behaviors, providing the foundation to understand their relationship with the universe, providing solace in crisis and sense of belonging, purpose, and inner peace. They described four major challenges related to AI in spirituality, i.e., vanishing the selflessness, reducing attention and concentration, feeling of affection and devotion, and lack of knowledge about analysis and self-knowledge. This study cites some differences and analogies among spiritual beings and AI devices. Finally, it is concluded that one should be responsible for themselves and respond well to what happens to not enabling AI to guide their spiritual experiences and lives.

Technological advancements have been very important players in redefining the lives of people engaging with spiritual beliefs. From analog to digital world, technology has become both a tool for spiritual journeys and a catalyst to transform how people share holy knowledge, build faith, and connect with the divine. The relationship between spirituality and technological growth underlines the quest for transcending physical limits for finding connection and meaning.

AI is ultimately aimed to develop tools that can serve humanity. It needs advancements ahead of basic parts of general intelligence. The term “intelligence” doesn’t represent technological needs of modern society at its best. Hence, it is rather called as “wisdom” instead of intelligence, which is related to improved happiness, well-being, health, and probability society’s longevity.  Hence, this study aims to examine the role of AI in improving spiritual experiences and prospects through systematic review of recent literature related to the role of AI in spirituality. This study reviews the emergence of AI driven by human intelligence to enable people to develop computers that can use wise principles.

AI and Spiritual Experiences

Spiritual Counseling

The landscape of spirituality is being transformed by AI, which is providing new avenues for people to seek guidance, explore their faith, and make deeper connection with their divine force. From spiritual counselling to religious text analysis and tailored meditation apps, AI-based chatbots are being the essential part of spiritual experience. Along with enhancing accessibility for spirituality, these applications also enable in-depth personalization, so that users can engage with their faith which couldn’t be imagined before. However, there are several important questions raised about authenticity, nature of spiritual experiences, and ethical considerations for integrating AI into spirituality (Chakraborty, 2023).

In AI-based spirituality, one of the most fascinating developments is the growth of AI chatbots designed for offering spiritual counseling and guidance. In “Deus ex Machina” project based in Switzerland, these AI programs are trained on theological concepts and religious texts to provide users more personalized, interactive experience (Johnston, 2019). Users can seek comfort in tough times, ask theological questions, and engaging in reflective discussions impersonating the guidance which is provided traditionally by spiritual advisors and human clergy (Domaratzki and Kidane, 2022). AI-based counselors are aimed to provide non-judgmental presence for people seeking companionship, answers, or space for introspection, which is always available (Trisia, 2025).

They can suggest spiritual practices, provide scriptural clarification, and offer support to deal with crises. For people being hesitant to approach spiritual leaders, these companions act as private and accessible alternative.  AI spiritual guides also have some challenges. Though they can provide responses based on religious texts and simulate empathy, they lack true spiritual intuition, discernment, and actual consciousness. Their responses are made as per probabilistic frameworks instead of deep moral knowledge or divine inspiration.  It increases ethical concerns related to accuracy of advice, dependency, and whether depending on AI for providing spiritual guidance (Alkhouri, 2025).

Meditation and Mindfulness for Spiritual Journeys

Spirituality is another emerging field of AI in the realm of mindfulness and meditation. AI apps like Headspace, Calm and others use smart models for tailoring spiritual assertions, meditation sessions, and breathing techniques to meet specific needs of individual and progress. They analyze preference, behavior, and physiological data of the user to suggest personalized spiritual journeys, building deep connection to self-awareness and inner peace (Zeitlin-Wu, 2023). AI-based platforms go ahead of one-size-fits-all approaches by providing adjustments in real-time based on emotional state of the user, personal goals, and engage patterns. For example, AI can track sentiment and voice tones during guided images on adjusting the content or pacing to provide more sensible experience. Some apps can use AI-based visualizations and soundscapes designed to meet specific traditions, be it Buddhist mindfulness, secular spirituality, and contemplation (Gera, 2024).

These AI platforms improve accessibility of spiritual well-being, especially for those who cannot access in-personal guidance. There are also concerns over the commercialization of spirituality, where highly transcendent and deeply personal experiences can be lowered down to algorithmic suggestions. Striking the balance between preserving unpredictable, holy nature of spiritual growth and using AI for personalization has become a matter of concern.

AI in Religious Text Analysis

AI is also redefining the way religious texts are analyzed and studied. With the power of “natural language processing (NLP),” AI can analyze holy texts like the Quran, Bible, etc. with depth and unexpected speed. AI tools can detect cross-reference texts and patterns across various traditions and languages, and even offer cultural and historical context to develop knowledge (Alpaslan and Mitroff, 2024). Theologians and religious scholars are using AI to reveal new knowledge about ancient texts, language structures, identify current themes, and authorship patterns which may have not been noticed over the years. These tools are also helpful to believers in their own spiritual journeys as they provide customized plans, explain complex concepts, and conduct comparative analysis around various faith traditions (Papakostas, 2025).

Along with text analysis, AI is widely used in spiritual judgement, enabling people to navigate complex ethical and moral questions by offering perspectives based on past interpretations and religious doctrine. AI tools are capable to compare doctrinal positions from several values, provide prayers based on certain concerns, and enable users to explore the application of spiritual principles to dilemmas currently, such as, stewardship for environment, social justice, and ethical decision-making. However, in religious analysis, there are controversies related to using AI. As per critics, there is a lack of spiritual wisdom and human intuition in AI to interpret holy texts completely, as spiritual sense often exceeds logical thoughts and language patterns. In addition, algorithmic bias is a risk factor, where AI may favor some religious knowledge over the years based on trained data (Tampubolon and Nadeak, 2024).

AI in Spirituality – The Future

As AI is constantly evolving, its application is more likely to expand in spirituality, offering more interactive and tailored experiences for people with all faiths. Be it through AI-based spiritual guides, improved scriptural analysis and deeply personalized journeys for meditation, AI can redefine spiritual exploration in different ways. As AI has turned out to be more integrated in spiritual journeys, it is worth navigating this intersection to ensure that technology acts well to build deeper connection. The challenge is leveraging the capabilities of AI when retaining the essence of faith, which is based in divine mystery, community and human experience (Brett, 2021).

AI as Mediator of Spiritual Experiences

When it comes to AI-based spirituality, one of the most serious philosophical questions is whether spiritual experiences can be improved by AI or an illusion of meaning and depth. Spiritual experiences are usually defined by a sense of connection to the divine and own transformation. A lot of people argue that these qualities are ahead of the reach of artificial body. Advocates of AI-based spirituality believe that if a person derives knowledge, comfort, or renewed sense of purpose by having a dialogue with AI, the experience would be subjective, irrespective of whether AI has divine knowledge or consciousness (Hutson and McMaken, 2025).

With personalized guidance and reflections, AI can act as a spiritual and valuable conduit. Critics have argued that responses of AI are completely artificial, relying on data processing instead of actual divine inspiration or spiritual wisdom (Geraci, 2008). Any profound knowledge based on AI is an illusion. The artificial construct mediates the modern form of self-reflection instead of genuine encounter. This view increases concerns related to potential of AI for creating false feeling of spiritual satisfaction, potentially preventing people from seeking authentic divine or human connection.

As AI is highly integrated in spiritual practices, a lot of people have reported profound experiences when it comes to interact with AI-based tools. These experiences involve feelings of guidance and comfort to perceived divine experience and deep introspection. Overall, spiritual experiences are deeply personal, subjective, cultural, and based on personal beliefs. Integrating AI in this personal space adds new dimension where personalized algorithms and human perception work together in unexpected and unique ways. Spirituality consists of a sense of connection to something more than the self, be it the universe, the God, or a higher being (Delgado, 2005).

With potential to process a lot of spiritual texts, AI can recognize emotional cues and provide personalized guidance and can promote a sense of connection. However, there is a rising concern over whether this connection is a sophisticated reflection of own expectations and thoughts or a genuinely spiritual. Human tendency to personalize technology plays a vital role in redefining such experiences. While AI tools reflect personal struggles, comforting words, and provide customized spiritual details, users may project deep sense over the interaction. Often termed as “Eliza Effect,” this phenomenon takes place when people have qualities like humans to improve their meaning and sense of relationship in the process (Dillon, 2020).

AI-based Prayer, Ritual Guidance and Theological Discussions

As AI is constantly evolving, it plays a role in helping with religious guidance, rituals, prayers, and religious discussions. Here are some of these developments –

·          AI-based Prayer – AI assistants can be helpful for people to organize their prayers, generate tailored prayers based on scriptural texts, and provide prompts on the basis personal needs. AI devices can guide users with daily rituals, suggest prayers for gratitude, healing, guidance or specific life events, and remind them of time for prayer (Gruchoła et al, 2024).

·          Theological Debates and Discussions – Advanced AI models can play a vital role in religious discussions by analyzing different religious texts and provides perspectives based on various historical texts and interpretations. AI can be designed to be the part of Socratic dialogue and users may be challenged to deepen their knowledge about their faith with well-designed arguments (Papakostas, 2025).

·          Ritual Guidance – AI can be used to help users to follow the right procedures for observances, ceremonies, and traditions. For instance, AI can act as a guide for people during fasting, helping in preparing for holy holidays, and adhere to ritual purity laws by offering guidance (Wang and Ma, 2025).

While AI-based rituals and prayer could provide valuable support, there are concerns about authentic experiences. There are certain questions like whether AI would affect the holiness of personal prayer with automation and AI-based participation is accepted by religious bodies in rituals. These questions should be addressed carefully by religious bodies as AI will constantly evolve.

There is a complex interrelationship between human quest and technology for connection, purpose and wholeness when exploring the role of AI in spirituality. This study has examined the potential of AI to act as a spiritual guide, offering companionship and tailored engagement in the matter of faith. Findings of the study suggested that function of AI in spirituality relies majorly on user’s intent and perception. When AI can analyze a lot of spiritual texts, it can provide non-judgmental presence and tailored guidance to promote profound spiritual experiences.

However, there is a lack of consciousness, complete understanding, and divine connection which is inherent in authentic experiences in AI. At its core, AI has no soul. It is a pattern-detection system, amplifying and reflecting the biases, beliefs, and spiritual inclinations of the ones engaged with it. Though powerful, this mirroring effect raises major questions about dependency and authenticity. Spirituality has the qualities AI may find it hard to provide due to its programming.