AI is changing pilgrims’ journeys, but sacred journeys have always adapted to new technology

October 8, 2026 · 12:11 pm 2 sources

Image: The Conversation

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• AI is changing pilgrims’ journeys, but sacred journeys have always adapted to new technology
  This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. · October 8, 2026 12:11
  From the printing press to smartphone apps, technology has continually transformed the experience of sacred journeys. A scholar of trails and walking explains the history.

More coverage

• AI is changing pilgrims' journeys, but sacred journeys have always adapted to new technology
  Phys.org · October 8, 2026 16:20
  In 2025, two scholars of religion decided to make a multiday pilgrimage along the Kumano Kodō trail—an ancient route in Japan connecting Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples—guided by an artificial intelligence assistant.