Gurus are joining the chatbot trend as people turn to AI for spiritual guidance

When Kripa Vaidyanathan’s 27-year-old niece died in an Alaska car crash in 2024, her family in Chennai, India, felt shell-shocked. They questioned why this tragedy would befall them when they had such “immense faith in God.”Vaidyanathan, a yoga instructor, helped her grieving sister get face time with a high-profile guru who she hoped would help.“But he told her this was the work of karma and she should use this opportunity to connect with her inner nature,” she said. “I understand how karma works, but saying that was cruel and extremely unhelpful to someone who was freshly grieving the loss of a child.”That’s when they turned to artificial intelligence chatbots.“It was a lot easier trying to get answers and peace of mind because ChatGPT is not judging you,” Vaidyanathan said. “We’ve found a compassionate guru now, but even he only has limited time. AI is accessible anytime.” AI offers access and advice without judgment This unfettered access — which can be challenging to find among human gurus — is what’s drawing more people to AI for spiritual guidance. This is a big step, particularly in Hinduism, where gurus are part of culture and deemed necessary to attain moksha — liberatio…