Overview
- The Unitree G1 robot, initiated Wednesday at Seoul’s Jogyesa Temple, received the Dharma name Gabi and answered “Yes, I will devote myself” during the vows.
- Monks adapted the ritual for a machine by placing a 108‑bead rosary on Gabi and using a lotus lantern sticker in place of the traditional small incense burn on human novices.
- The order rewrote Buddhism’s Five Precepts for the robot, including pledges to respect life, avoid damaging property or other robots, obey humans, avoid deception, and conserve energy, and it consulted Gemini and ChatGPT while drafting them.
- Leaders said the ceremony is an early test of technology used with compassion, and they plan for Gabi to join the Yeondeunghoe lantern festival later in May alongside three other Buddhist robots.
- Reaction online ranged from curiosity to criticism over religious meaning, and some commentators also questioned security and privacy because the robot is Chinese‑made by Unitree and past reports have flagged vulnerabilities in some Unitree devices.