Spiritual Conversation with a Companion Machine

This article explores the prospects for humans having spiritual conversation with a computer. It has long been clear that it is possible for humans to talk about personal issues with a computer, as evident from Weizenbaum’s early work on programming nondirective counseling. There are various ways in...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs: Watts, Fraser N. 1946- (Auteur) ; Wilks, Yorick 1939- (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Publié: 2024
Dans: Zygon
Année: 2024, Volume: 59, Numéro: 3, Pages: 676–691
Sujets non-standardisés:B Negro spiritual
B EXPERT SYSTEMS
B GPT
B Wizard of Oz
B Conversation
B Robots
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Description
Résumé:This article explores the prospects for humans having spiritual conversation with a computer. It has long been clear that it is possible for humans to talk about personal issues with a computer, as evident from Weizenbaum’s early work on programming nondirective counseling. There are various ways in which automated spiritual interlocutors could be developed, e.g., using chatbot methodologies, script-based knowledge, machine learning, or some kind of hybrid. Preliminary empirical work suggests that a significant number of people are happy to discuss spiritual issues with a computer, whether the responses are by a human masquerading as a computer using Wizard-of-Oz methodology or GPT. In due course, it may be possible to develop a personalized artificial spiritual companion. The acceptability of spiritual conversation with the computer may depend on various factors such as the personality of the human user, their views on religious issues, and the focus and content of the spiritual conversation.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contient:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.16995/zygon.11087