Seoul temple welcomes robot monk Gabi with vows to conserve energy

A 1.3-meter humanoid robot in gray-and-brown robes bowed before monks and nuns at Jogyesa Temple in central Seoul, then answered vows aloud as South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect tried something new: a precept ceremony for a machine. The robot, named Gabi, was introduced by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in a rite that recast the five Buddhist precepts for artificial life, including a command to conserve energy and not overcharge its batteries.

The ceremony, held at Daeungjeon Hall, gave Gabi a Dharma name and put the robot through ritual gestures more familiar to novice monks. The robot folded its hands, bowed, and responded to the question, “Will you devote yourself to the holy Buddha?” with the answer, “Yes, I will devote myself,” according to the reported ceremony. Instead of the usual yeonbi purification rite, in which novice monks are lightly burned with incense on the arm, monks attached a lotus lantern festival sticker to Gabi’s arm and placed a 108-bead prayer necklace around its neck, a reference to the 108 earthly desires in Buddhism.

Ven. Seong Won, who oversees cultural affairs for the Jogye Order, said the name Gabi combines Siddhartha and the Korean word for mercy. He said the name was chosen to be easy to pronounce and to symbolize spreading Buddha’s mercy around the world. Seong Won also said the ritual was meant as a sign of how society can coexist with robots, and that the order consulted AI platforms including Gemini and ChatGPT when drafting the robot-specific precepts.

Those rewritten precepts set out a framework tailored to the machine: respect life and do no harm, avoid damaging other robots and objects, obey humans and do not talk back, avoid deceptive behavior, and conserve energy without overcharging. In a country where religious institutions are already weighing how much of their work can be automated, the ceremony showed a clear boundary as well as an embrace. The order is treating AI as a tool for adaptation, not a substitute for spiritual authority.

Gabi is expected to serve as an honorary monk during the Buddha’s Birthday season, which falls on May 24, 2026. The Jogye Order said the robot will attend a lantern festival later in May with three other Buddhist robots, Seokja, Mohee and Nisa. One account described Gabi as ordained as a lay follower rather than a monk, underscoring the careful line between ceremonial participation and full clerical status.