The Social Affairs Office of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism (headed by Ven. Jingyeong) held the “2026 Overseas Buddhism Seminar: the United States, Japan, and Taiwan” on October 28 at the International Conference Hall of the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall. The seminar examined the current status of AI utilization in the overseas Buddhist community. 

Professor Moon Jingeon of Dongbang Culture University presented on Buddhism in the United States, delivering a presentation titled “The Current Status of Integrating AI Technology into Meditation Programs in the Digital Mental Health Market.” Professor Moon emphasized, “Meditation in America has become separated from traditional religious practices and has gradually focused solely on individual experience and psychological change,” adding, “While utilizing AI, we must consider the values of community and tradition to determine how to preserve the practice-oriented, relational, and ethical significance of meditation.” 

Ven. Boil, Director of the AI Buddhism Research Institute, made a presentation titled “The Current Status of AI Robot in Japanese Buddhism and Its Religious Implications,” He argued saying that “We must build a consensus on the ‘issue of AI accountability’ and establish relevant governance frameworks.” He explained that as AI-based counseling becomes more widespread, a verification system is needed to confirm the sources of information provided by AI and to clearly identify those responsible for its content. 

Ven. Hyeho, Abbot of the Seoul branch of Fo Guang Shan Monastery, presented on “The Development and Application of AI in Buddhism: A Case Study of Fo Guang Shan Monastery” and introduced the example from Fo Guang Shan Monastery as a positive example of AI implementation in Buddhist outreach. To convey vast amounts of Buddhist knowledge systematically, the Taiwanese monastery used AI to standardize Buddhist terminology and compile the Fo Guang Encyclopedia, which contains over 30,000 entries and 7 million characters.

Earlier, Ven. Jingyeong, Director of the Social Affairs Office, stated in his opening remarks, “The AI era presents the Buddhist community with both an opportunity and a challenge that goes beyond mere technological change. It is a chance to expand the scope of Dharma propagation and to offer a new path to save modern people from spiritual wanderings.” He added, “I hope this seminar will serve as a forum for public discourse that establishes a wise milestone for Korean Buddhism to lead the way in the AI era.”