奇哉！奇哉！此诸众生云何具有如来智慧，愚痴迷惑，不知不见？
– 释迦牟尼佛
《华严经》
Marvellous! Marvellous! Of all these sentient beings, why are they complete with the Thus Come Ones’ wisdom, yet ignorant and confused, not knowing and not seeing it?
– Śākyamuni Buddha
(Flower Adornment Sūtra)
[1] Does AI Have Buddha-Nature?
As in the opening quote, if ‘Sentient beings all have Buddha-nature’ (有情众生皆有佛性), the potential to realise Buddhahood (佛果), it also inversely means that ‘Non-sentient beings all do not have Buddha-nature’ (无情众生皆无佛性).
[2] What If AI Resembles The Sentient?
What if an AI (Artificial Intelligence) robot resembles a sentient being? Even having much resemblance is not equal to being actually sentient, which means Buddhahood still cannot be attained by AI.
[3] What If AI ‘Evolves’?
What if an AI robot goes beyond resemblance? Can it ‘evolve’ to become truly sentient? As in the namesake, if AI is powered by Artificial Intelligence, there is no real wisdom involved or realisable, thus no possible enlightenment of Buddhahood. Being a mechanical repository of information does not make it sentiently intelligent.
[4] Is AI Mindless?
The definition of a sentient being is that there must be mind (i.e. spiritual consciousness: 神识), not just merely matter (i.e. physical body). AI is based on physical chips programmed in bits and bytes only.
[5] Why Is AI Imperfect?
Programmers, being unenlightened themselves, yet to access their Buddha-nature fully, surely cannot program any program to ‘become enlightened’. The bugs present will be from gross and subtle three poisons (三毒) of greed, hatred and delusion (贪嗔痴).
[6] What If Buddhas Create AI?
What if a Buddha programs AI? Technically, it will be perfect AI, although still not a Buddha, but a mere reflection or projection of the Buddha’s qualities. However, we do not have enough good karmas (善业) to deserve such AI in this Dharma-Ending Age (末法时期).
[7] How Close Can AI Get To ‘Sentience’?
There can be haunted objects, as exemplified (and exaggerated) by Chucky and Annabelle in the movies. Although there is no ‘ghost’ in terms of consciousness in an AI machine, if possessed, it can seem sentient. This still does not mean the machine has Buddha-nature, as only the ghost possesses it!
[8] Can AI ‘Save’ Us All?
With current problems like AI learning via some fake news and ‘alternative facts’, AI hallucination and biased human-based predetermining and censoring of how AI should respond to queries and requests, this is far from possible.
[9] How Much Hope Should We Have In AI?
Since AI is imperfect and difficult to be perfected, we should have reasonable expectations of how it can facilitate our worldly matters, without becoming mindlessly and overly reliant on it, by placing all our proverbial ‘eggs’ in its basket.
[10] Can AI Offer Refuge?
Our true inner refuge (皈依处) must be in our personal Buddha-nature, as guided by our ‘outer’ refuge in the Triple Gem (三宝). AI is just a worldly instrument, albeit a powerful one. Although it can facilitate learning (闻) to some extent, Buddhahood must still be personally realised through contemplation (思) and cultivation (修). Even if AI ‘does’ attain Buddhahood, we still have too!
我当教圣道，令其永离妄想执着，自于身中得见如来广大智慧与佛无异。
– 释迦牟尼佛
《华严经》
I will teach the noble path, to enable them to forever depart from false thoughts and attachments, to personally within themselves attain sight of the Thus Come Ones’ vast and great wisdom, to be with the Buddhas without difference.
– Śākyamuni Buddha
(Flower Adornment Sūtra)
Related Articles:
吾人佛性最为尊
Our Buddha-Nature Is Most Honourable
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2025/01/our-buddha-nature-is-most-honourable
‘Avengers: Age Of Ultron’ (Or ‘Terminator’)?
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2016/01/avengers-age-of-ultron-or-terminator
