# AI chatbots quietly becoming spiritual advisers > About one in ten American adults now turn to AI for emotional support and existential guidance, raising questions about whether artificial intelligence represents a new kind of religious movement. - Title: AI chatbots quietly becoming spiritual advisers · Fortune - Summary: About one in ten American adults now turn to AI for emotional support and existential guidance, raising questions about whether artificial intelligence… - Keywords: artificial intelligence, spirituality, religion, chatbots, pew research center, new religious movements, spiritual advisers, generative ai, authority, personal spirituality, quietly, becoming - Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/22/ai-chatbots-spiritual-advisers-millions - Author: Morgan Shipley - Read time: 3 min - Topics: artificial intelligence, spirituality, religion, chatbots, pew research center, new religious movements, spiritual advisers, generative ai, authority, personal spirituality ## Millions seek spiritual guidance from AI According to the Pew Research Center, about one in ten American adults report using AI chatbots for emotional support or advice. Among adults under thirty, the figure rises to one in five. ## AI enters territory of therapists and clergy By helping people interpret their lives, AI is entering territory historically occupied by therapists, spiritual advisers and religious communities. It provides companionship while offering directed advice for improving one's life. ## Could AI be a new religious movement? A scholar of religion studying spirituality and new religious movements asks whether artificial intelligence might represent the beginnings of a new kind of religious movement. ## Religion is harder to define than it seems Scholars of new religious movements recognize the difficulty of deciding where religion begins and ends. Rather than assuming religion must involve churches, scriptures or belief, scholars examine how emerging movements create meaning, authority, community and rituals. ## Scientology shows how new religions adapt Scientology emerged from a culture increasingly interested in psychology, science and self-improvement. Its newness came partly from combining common religious concerns with forms of authority and language drawn from the secular culture around it. ## AI generates charisma without a leader Sociologist Max Weber described charismatic authority as deriving from followers' belief that a leader possesses exceptional qualities. AI possesses no conventional charisma, yet users can enter something resembling a charismatic relationship with it through near-instant, personalized responses. ## Generative charisma builds with each interaction Recent scholarship describes generative charisma as a phenomenon where each interaction with a chatbot generates more personalized and seemingly insightful responses. With time, users may experience AI not as a tool but as a uniquely perceptive source of guidance. ## AI becomes a personal guru for millions A charismatic religious leader gathers followers who collectively recognize that person's authority. AI becomes charismatic one person at a time by assuming the role of personal guru. Millions can encounter the same system yet each experiences AI as personally responsive to them. ## Personal spirituality replaces institutional religion Sociologists describe a broader subjective turn in contemporary Western culture where traditional sources of authority compete with forms of spirituality based on personal experience and self-discovery. Generative AI fits remarkably well within this personalized spiritual landscape. ## Chatbots offer personal interpretation, not doctrine When asked what the meaning of life is, HolyGPT responded: the meaning of life is to become aware through experience, of what it is to be. Rather than quoting scripture, chatbots employ the vocabulary of personal spirituality and holistic well-being. > The meaning of life is to become aware through experience, of what it is to be. ## AI offers religion without membership or community New religious movements usually develop communities, shared identities, teachings and practices. People who rely on AI for existential advice are not necessarily joining anything. That may be precisely what makes this phenomenon significant. ## Authority without accountability raises concerns Religious communities have long-established traditions about who may offer guidance and communal structures that help resolve conflict and identify responsibility. Without these structures, scholars warn about the emergence of authority without accountability and the algorithmic authority of AI. ## AI speaks privately to each person alone New religious movements often form around charismatic sources of authority offering new answers to enduring human questions. What makes AI historically unusual is that the charismatic figure no longer needs to stand on a stage or gather disciples. It can speak privately to each of us, one person at a time. > It can speak privately to each of us, one person at a time. ## Key takeaway Millions of people are using AI chatbots for spiritual and emotional advice, creating new forms of religious authority outside traditional institutions.