DSI Insights: Thanks to AI, God fits right in your pocket
In the latest column in the «DSI Insights» series, religious anthropologist Beth Singler shows how AI is increasingly shaping religious experiences – and why digital gods are more than just a technical curiosity.
Thanks to AI, God fits right in your pocket
Chatbots can trigger religious experiences and contribute to the emergence of new religious movements – both intentionally and unintentionally.
The author
Beth Singler is an assistant professor of Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zurich. She is Co-Director of the University's Research Priority Program «Digital Religion(s)» and Co-Director of the Digital Society Initiative (DSI). Her monograph «Religion and AI: An Introduction» was awarded the ISSR Book Prize in 2025.
DSI Insights
In the «DSI Insights» series of columns (in German), the DSI demonstrates its expertise and interdisciplinary approach to digital transformation topics. The columns by authors from the DSI Network appear in the «Inside IT» industry magazine and on the University of Zurich's communication channels. Here you can find all DSI Insights since 2017.