Mediatization of Religion in Cyberspace: A Case of Artificial Intelligence A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Mediatization refers to how religious practices, beliefs, and institutions are shaped by media technologies, media logic, and the broader media landscape. Through AI technologies, people can access religious information conveniently, interactively, and personally, particularly through platforms such as ChatGPT. Although AI is fundamentally a technological field, its implications extend to various aspects of religious life. This development raises questions about the authenticity of religious experiences when technology mediates them. Therefore, applying AI in the religious domain requires careful consideration to ensure that religious values and objectives are preserved in the digital age. This study aims to analyze the mediatization of religion in cyberspace through artificial intelligence. It employs a qualitative library research design with a phenomenological approach. The study uses content analysis to examine religious mediatization and its relationship with artificial intelligence. The study also draws on Stig Hjarvard’s theory of the mediatization of religion as its theoretical framework for understanding how religion is mediated in the digital sphere. The findings indicate that the mediatization of religion in the digital sphere refers to the process through which religious teachings, practices, and communication increasingly involve information and communication technologies, particularly the internet and digital platforms. AI plays a role in this process through various mechanisms that can influence how people understand, access, and share religion. Media technologies have transformed and reshaped the presentation of certain religious activities, such as scriptural recitation and prayer, through ChatGPT and contemporary media platforms. AI has become an increasingly pervasive form of mediatization, posing significant challenges to conventional understandings of religious traditions in the digital age. The findings further suggest that the mediatization of religion in the digital sphere may contribute to the emergence of banal religion, in which religious practices and expressions risk becoming superficial or detached from their deeper spiritual meanings.