Rethinking Buddhist knowledge in the age of artificial intelligence: a conceptual review

This article reconceptualizes Buddhist knowledge in the context of contemporary artificial intelligence (AI), moving beyond a purely technological perspective to a humanities-oriented inquiry. It asks how AI is not only transforming the methods of accessing and interpreting Buddhist texts, but also reshaping the epistemological and ethical foundations of Buddhist thought. Drawing on a qualitative-dominant conceptual review, the study synthesizes three domains: AI-assisted textual analysis, multimodal reconstruction of Buddhist worlds, and emerging forms of human–AI religious interaction. The findings suggest that AI does not merely function as a tool for knowledge transmission, but increasingly operates as a ‘karmic engine’ that amplifies human intentions, values, and interpretive frameworks. This shift challenges traditional understandings of authorship, authority, and moral agency within Buddhist epistemology. By examining cases such as AI chatbots, robotic preachers, and digital Dharma platforms, the article argues that encounters with ‘machine-mediated Buddhism’ require a rethinking of knowledge production in religious contexts. The study contributes to humanities scholarship by proposing a conceptual framework that integrates Buddhist doctrines – such as karma, non-self, and compassion – into contemporary debates on AI ethics and knowledge systems. It suggests that Buddhist thought offers a critical resource for reimagining AI not merely as computational intelligence, but as a relational and ethically embedded form of knowing.