About This Project
The Buddhism and AI Initiative is a nonprofit organization committed to promoting freedom of attention and freedom of intention to ensure meaningful human agency in the age of AI.
Wang Zi-Won, Mechanical Avalokiteśvara, 2011 sculpture
“Launched publicly in August, the project aims to bring together Buddhist practitioners, technologists and researchers to shape the future of AI."
—Religion News Service profile of the Buddhism and AI Initiative (November 2025)
“Launched publicly in August, the project aims to bring together Buddhist practitioners, technologists and researchers to shape the future of AI."
—Religion News Service profile of the Buddhism and AI Initiative (November 2025)
“Launched publicly in August, the project aims to bring together Buddhist practitioners, technologists and researchers to shape the future of AI."
—Religion News Service profile of the Buddhism and AI Initiative (November 2025)
Why
Artificial intelligence marks a new evolutionary turning point for humanity. We believe Buddhism can help shape this evolution for the better. While we recognize the transformational potential of AI, we also recognize the many risks of intelligent technology, including personal and societal habit formations that may limit our presence and adaptive flexibility. Human-AI alignment should be consistent with an ethical commitment to both responsibility and responsivity.
We’re committed to safeguarding the possibility of human awakening in the age of AI. This means resisting the concentrations of power that are currently driving the competitive corporate and state AI race. It also means resisting the temptation to withdraw from engagement with the field of AI out of fear, anxiety, or disavowal. We’re working to educate individuals and communities in ways that are responsive to the distinctive relational dynamics that connect us all.
Why Buddhism and AI? Read our recent Substack post on the strange convergence of Buddhist practice and the future of AI.
Why
Artificial intelligence marks a new evolutionary turning point for humanity. We believe Buddhism can help shape this evolution for the better. While we recognize the transformational potential of AI, we also recognize the many risks of intelligent technology, including personal and societal habit formations that may limit our presence and adaptive flexibility. Human-AI alignment should be consistent with an ethical commitment to both responsibility and responsivity.
We’re committed to safeguarding the possibility of human awakening in the age of AI. This means resisting the concentrations of power that are currently driving the competitive corporate and state AI race. It also means resisting the temptation to withdraw from engagement with the field of AI out of fear, anxiety, or disavowal. We’re working to educate individuals and communities in ways that are responsive to the distinctive relational dynamics that connect us all.
Why Buddhism and AI? Read our recent Substack post on the strange convergence of Buddhist practice and the future of AI.
Why
Artificial intelligence marks a new evolutionary turning point for humanity. We believe Buddhism can help shape this evolution for the better. While we recognize the transformational potential of AI, we also recognize the many risks of intelligent technology, including personal and societal habit formations that may limit our presence and adaptive flexibility. Human-AI alignment should be consistent with an ethical commitment to both responsibility and responsivity.
We’re committed to safeguarding the possibility of human awakening in the age of AI. This means resisting the concentrations of power that are currently driving the competitive corporate and state AI race. It also means resisting the temptation to withdraw from engagement with the field of AI out of fear, anxiety, or disavowal. We’re working to educate individuals and communities in ways that are responsive to the distinctive relational dynamics that connect us all.
Why Buddhism and AI? Read our recent Substack post on the strange convergence of Buddhist practice and the future of AI.
How
We’ve interviewed over 150 Buddhist teachers, community leaders, technologists, contemplative researchers, social innovators, and practitioners to find out what they thinking about AI. We then created a field framework of individuals and organizations working within this field. We’ve identified six primary areas of engagement:
Buddhist Knowledge Infrastructure
Awakening and Alignment Tech
Thought Leadership
Operations and Field-Building
AI Governance and Policy
Spiritual Care and Teaching
Buddhist Knowledge Infrastructure
Awakening and Alignment Tech
Thought Leadership
Operations and Field-Building
AI Governance and Policy
Spiritual Care and Teaching
Buddhist Knowledge Infrastructure
Awakening and Alignment Tech
Thought Leadership
Operations and Field-Building
AI Governance and Policy
Spiritual Care and Teaching
We’re also building a library of resources to get up to speed on this emerging field, which includes resources on Buddhism, on AI, and on ways they intersect. We’re now exploring where this field is going–and where it could go, with wise guidance. We’re working with members of our network to envision a positive future and lead specific projects to get there.
Who
Our organization currently consists of four core team members with experience spanning academia, startups, nonprofit leadership, and chaplaincy:
Chris Scammell was previously COO of Conjecture, an AI safety company that formed out of the open-source collective EleutherAI, known for training the first open-source LLMs. Chris has been studying Buddhism since 2016, and has spent over four years living in monasteries between London, Canada, and India.
Alex Sarkissian is a Buddhist chaplain, meditation teacher, and social entrepreneur passionate about contemplative practice as a pathway toward individual and collective transformation in the age of AI. He holds a Master of Divinity in Buddhism from Columbia University’s Union Theological Seminary, where his thesis assessed the potential impact of AI on the cultivation of virtue and human flourishing. Alex was previously a founder, CMO, and operator at various early-stage startups and a strategy and innovation consultant at Deloitte.
Peter D. Hershock, Ph.D, is an intercultural philosopher who reflects on contemporary issues of global concern. Past Director of the Asian Studies Development Program, he is currently Adjunct Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, where he has been the recipient of significant grants, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Academy for Korean Studies, and the Freeman Foundation. He is the author of more than fifty peer-reviewed papers and eight books, including Buddhism and Intelligent Technology: Toward a More Humane Future (2021) and Consciousness Mattering: A Buddhist Synthesis (2023).
Ryan Stagg is a nonprofit leader with ten years of experience driving strategic growth in mission-driven organizations. Drawing on his MA in Contemplative Religious Studies, he has served as Director of Digital Strategy at the Mind & Life Institute and as Director of Business Development at Drala Mountain Center. In both roles, he has exponentially expanded communication platforms, significantly increased revenue through innovative initiatives, and addressed critical organizational challenges. Known for his collaborative spirit and strategic vision, Ryan builds programs and partnerships that bring ideas to life and amplify impact.
Who
Our organization currently consists of four core team members with experience spanning academia, startups, nonprofit leadership, and chaplaincy:
Chris Scammell was previously COO of Conjecture, an AI safety company that formed out of the open-source collective EleutherAI, known for training the first open-source LLMs. Chris has been studying Buddhism since 2016, and has spent over four years living in monasteries between London, Canada, and India.
Alex Sarkissian is a Buddhist chaplain, meditation teacher, and social entrepreneur passionate about contemplative practice as a pathway toward individual and collective transformation in the age of AI. He holds a Master of Divinity in Buddhism from Columbia University’s Union Theological Seminary, where his thesis assessed the potential impact of AI on the cultivation of virtue and human flourishing. Alex was previously a founder, CMO, and operator at various early-stage startups and a strategy and innovation consultant at Deloitte.
Peter D. Hershock, Ph.D, is an intercultural philosopher who reflects on contemporary issues of global concern. Past Director of the Asian Studies Development Program, he is currently Adjunct Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, where he has been the recipient of significant grants, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Academy for Korean Studies, and the Freeman Foundation. He is the author of more than fifty peer-reviewed papers and eight books, including Buddhism and Intelligent Technology: Toward a More Humane Future (2021) and Consciousness Mattering: A Buddhist Synthesis (2023).
Ryan Stagg is a nonprofit leader with ten years of experience driving strategic growth in mission-driven organizations. Drawing on his MA in Contemplative Religious Studies, he has served as Director of Digital Strategy at the Mind & Life Institute and as Director of Business Development at Drala Mountain Center. In both roles, he has exponentially expanded communication platforms, significantly increased revenue through innovative initiatives, and addressed critical organizational challenges. Known for his collaborative spirit and strategic vision, Ryan builds programs and partnerships that bring ideas to life and amplify impact.
Who
Our organization currently consists of four core team members with experience spanning academia, startups, nonprofit leadership, and chaplaincy:
Chris Scammell was previously COO of Conjecture, an AI safety company that formed out of the open-source collective EleutherAI, known for training the first open-source LLMs. Chris has been studying Buddhism since 2016, and has spent over four years living in monasteries between London, Canada, and India.
Alex Sarkissian is a Buddhist chaplain, meditation teacher, and social entrepreneur passionate about contemplative practice as a pathway toward individual and collective transformation in the age of AI. He holds a Master of Divinity in Buddhism from Columbia University’s Union Theological Seminary, where his thesis assessed the potential impact of AI on the cultivation of virtue and human flourishing. Alex was previously a founder, CMO, and operator at various early-stage startups and a strategy and innovation consultant at Deloitte.
Peter D. Hershock, Ph.D, is an intercultural philosopher who reflects on contemporary issues of global concern. Past Director of the Asian Studies Development Program, he is currently Adjunct Senior Fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu, where he has been the recipient of significant grants, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Academy for Korean Studies, and the Freeman Foundation. He is the author of more than fifty peer-reviewed papers and eight books, including Buddhism and Intelligent Technology: Toward a More Humane Future (2021) and Consciousness Mattering: A Buddhist Synthesis (2023).
Ryan Stagg is a nonprofit leader with ten years of experience driving strategic growth in mission-driven organizations. Drawing on his MA in Contemplative Religious Studies, he has served as Director of Digital Strategy at the Mind & Life Institute and as Director of Business Development at Drala Mountain Center. In both roles, he has exponentially expanded communication platforms, significantly increased revenue through innovative initiatives, and addressed critical organizational challenges. Known for his collaborative spirit and strategic vision, Ryan builds programs and partnerships that bring ideas to life and amplify impact.
AI is raising deep questions that Buddhism has been exploring for millennia.
Mindstream Project Ltd © 2026.
AI is raising deep questions that Buddhism has been exploring for millennia.
Mindstream Project Ltd © 2026.