AI tools now aid pilgrims on ancient paths
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Researchers Wayne E. Arnold and John A. Shultz studied how artificial intelligence impacted a spiritual practice during a multi-day pilgrimage in Japan’s Kumano Kodō, an ancient network of trails.
They used a digital assistant to learn about the history and traditions of places they visited, uncovering details they might have missed with traditional information sources.
This builds on a long history of tools assisting pilgrims, early Christians and Jews relied on written accounts and maps to guide them to holy sites, and the invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for wider distribution of religious travel guides. Before printed guides, people used written descriptions to locate religious destinations and learn local traditions, with figures like Egeria and the Pilgrim of Bordeaux documenting their journeys.
Bernhard von Breydenbach’s 1486 book, Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam, with its maps and woodcut illustrations, popularized pilgrimages to Jerusalem and other holy lands throughout Europe. However, some religious figures, like Martin Luther, questioned the value of pilgrimages altogether. Modern transportation, from steamships to airplanes, has also reshaped pilgrimage routes, prioritizing the destination over the journey itself.
Now, AI tools offer similar changes, potentially altering what pilgrims focus on during their travels and raising questions about the role of technology in personal spiritual experiences. Shay Rabineau, a professor at Binghamton University, suggests these changes are part of a continuing evolution of how people make religious journeys.
