The Future of AI in Meditation: Deep Learning, Avataric Instruction, and the Virtual Ashram (Unabridged‪)‬

From the introduction:

When a meditation teacher has few students, he or she can provide one-on-one instruction. However, with the advent of hundreds or thousands of pupils, it is impractical if not impossible to provide the same level of attention. In movements such as the Radhasoami tradition where there are hundreds of thousands (and sometimes millions) of adherents, the designated master can only spend very limited time with the vast majority of his or her disciples. On the surface, this seems to be an intractable problem with any large organization, but it is particularly worrisome in spiritual practices, which necessitate a more intimately connected relationship.

However, with the advent of artificial intelligence, deep learning, and virtual reality avatars, consistent personal tutelage directly correlated to an individual’s own needs and difficulties becomes both possible and feasible. Although at first this may seem disconcerting or undesirable, the fact is that communicative technologies have already been widely adopted over the past century by religious leaders—these range from book distribution (utilizing postal services) to voice modifiers (loudspeakers and microphones) to visual magnifiers (video projectors and webinars). The next logical step in this direction is 3D immersion via virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, which offers full-bodied representations. What makes this latest conveyance fundamentally different, though, is that it can be coupled with synthetic neural networks, machine learning, and lifelike simulations.

In this audiobook we want to explore how meditative practices and spiritual communities will be transformed by these futuristic innovations—so much so that we will be witnessing a digital revolution the likes of which were previously unimaginable. Our central thesis is that the evolution of communicative systems brings with it new and innovative ways to educate and learn. Because of this, the very way Radhasoami teachings are transmitted in the next few decades will be greatly expanded and enhanced.