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Exposure to robot preachers undermines religious commitment.

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Robot preachers are perceived as less credible than human preachers, leading to reduced religious commitment. This suggests that increasing automation in religious roles may contribute to a decline in religious engagement.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Cultural Evolution
  • Religious Studies

Background:

  • Robots are increasingly integrated into various professions, including those previously considered immune to automation.
  • The expanding capabilities of robots raise questions about their potential influence in domains requiring high credibility, such as religious leadership.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the credibility of robot preachers compared to human preachers.
  • To examine the impact of robot preachers on religious adherents' commitment.
  • To explore the underlying reasons for perceived credibility differences.

Main Methods:

  • A natural experiment in a Buddhist temple and a randomized experiment in a Taoist temple were conducted.
  • Study 3 used an online experiment to conceptually replicate findings.
  • Perceived credibility was assessed, along with religious commitment and perceived mind (agency and patiency).

Main Results:

  • Religious adherents consistently perceived robot preachers and their employing institutions as less credible than human preachers.
  • Listening to robot preachers led to reduced religious commitment compared to listening to human preachers.
  • Perceived minds (agency and patiency) are crucial for religious elites' credibility, which robot preachers lack.

Conclusions:

  • Robot preachers inspire less credibility than human preachers due to a lack of perceived minds.
  • The automation of religious roles may lead to a decline in religious commitment and engagement.
  • Findings support cultural evolutionary theories of religion and highlight the limits of automation in credibility-dependent domains.