South Korea’s first-ever robotic monk has been officially initiated into Buddhism

by

South Korea recently unveiled its first robotic monk, a humanoid robot, with a special ceremony held before the celebration of Buddha’s birthday.

A robot named Gabi is becoming popular online after attending a Buddhist ceremony at the Jogye Temple in Seoul, South Korea.

Gabi, who is just over four feet tall, dressed in the traditional robes of a Buddhist monk and formally committed to Buddhist practice through a ceremony called ‘sugye’. This involved pressing her palms together and bowing as a sign of respect.

Gabi received its name at a ceremony, with ‘Gabi’ being the Korean word for ‘mercy.’ The naming was accompanied by a ‘yeonbi’ ritual, a Buddhist purification practice where young monks undergo a symbolic burning of their arms with incense.

Ahead of Buddha’s birthday, South Korea unveiled its first humanoid robot monk at Jogye Temple in Seoul. Named Gabi, the 130-centimeter-tall robot is dressed in traditional Buddhist robes and made a commitment to the practice of Buddhism during its debut.

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 6, 2026

Instead of participating directly, Gabi received a lotus lantern sticker on her arm and a 108-bead prayer necklace as a symbolic gesture.

Robot monk agrees to revised version of Buddhism’s Five Precepts

During the ceremony, Buddhist monks commit to following five guidelines: refraining from taking life, stealing, inappropriate sexual behavior, lying, and the use of intoxicants like alcohol or drugs.

Gabi operated under a special set of guidelines. As a monk-like robot, it committed to protecting all life, avoiding harm to other robots or anything around it, respecting and following human instructions, being honest, and saving energy by not overcharging its batteries.

Gabi, the AI monk, has quickly become popular online. People are sharing videos of Gabi and comparing it to Zenyatta, a robot monk character from the video game Overwatch.

Some people also pointed out similarities to the 2023 science fiction movie ‘The Creator,’ which prominently showcased robots resembling monks in traditional clothing.

Gabi is a robot created by Unitree Robotics, a Chinese company that has been building and selling advanced four-legged robots since 2013.

The creator of the Roomba vacuum recently introduced ‘Familiar,’ a new robot designed to be a comforting companion. It’s become popular online because it’s designed to react to human feelings, much like a pet.

Read More

2026-05-07 00:19