Value-Sensitive AI for Prayer: Balancing the Agencies Between Human and AI Agents in Spiritual Context
Designed four value-sensitive AI systems to explore AI's impact on prayer, emphasizing user agency.
Key Findings
Methodology
The study used diary studies and interviews, proposing four conceptual AI systems through design workbooks to explore AI's role in prayer. Participants reflected on how AI might affect their prayer experiences, particularly when AI assumes too much agency.
Key Results
- Result 1: Participants felt AI's presence might diminish prayer authenticity, especially when AI overly guides prayer.
- Result 2: AI's inexplicability can be a resource for personal meaning-making.
- Result 3: Non-use of AI is seen as a legitimate design choice.
Significance
The study emphasizes that AI system designs for deeply value-laden experiences should preserve users' agency. By maintaining interpretive openness, AI's inexplicability can be a resource for personal meaning-making. Additionally, non-use of AI is a legitimate design choice.
Technical Contribution
The study introduces a value-sensitive AI design approach, emphasizing user agency in prayer experiences. By designing four conceptual AI systems, it demonstrates how value-sensitive design principles can be applied in technospiritual contexts.
Novelty
The study is the first to apply value-sensitive design principles to prayer experiences, proposing AI's inexplicability as a resource for personal meaning-making and emphasizing non-use of AI as a design choice.
Limitations
- Limitation 1: The study is limited to Korean Christians' prayer experiences, which may not apply to other cultural contexts.
- Limitation 2: Conceptual designs have not been validated in practical applications.
Future Work
Future research could extend to prayer experiences in different cultural contexts and validate the conceptual AI systems in practical applications.
AI Executive Summary
This study explores AI's role in deeply value-laden prayer experiences by designing four conceptual value-sensitive AI systems intended to 'assist' prayer practices. Through diary studies and interviews, it was found that participants felt AI's presence might diminish the authenticity of prayer, especially when AI assumes too much agency.
The study emphasizes that AI system designs should preserve users' agency in shaping their experiences. By maintaining interpretive openness, AI's inexplicability can be a resource for personal meaning-making. Additionally, non-use of AI is a legitimate design choice.
The technical contribution lies in introducing a value-sensitive AI design approach, demonstrating how value-sensitive design principles can be applied in technospiritual contexts. Future research could extend to different cultural contexts and validate the conceptual AI systems in practical applications.
Deep Analysis
Background
With the proliferation of AI technologies, their application in spiritual domains has drawn attention from design and HCI researchers. Technospirituality, which supports and mediates spiritual experiences through technology, has become a significant topic in HCI research.
Core Problem
The core problem is how AI affects prayer experiences, particularly when AI assumes too much agency, potentially diminishing the authenticity of prayer.
Innovation
The core innovation is the first application of value-sensitive design principles to prayer experiences, proposing AI's inexplicability as a resource for personal meaning-making and emphasizing non-use of AI as a design choice.
Methodology
- �� Conducted diary studies to identify key values in prayer experiences.
- �� Designed four conceptual AI systems as reflective tools in design workbooks.
- �� Collected participant feedback through interviews on AI systems.
Experiments
The experimental design included diary studies and interviews, where participants recorded their prayer experiences and reflected on conceptual AI systems.
Results
The study found that participants felt AI's presence might diminish prayer authenticity, especially when AI assumes too much agency. AI's inexplicability can be a resource for personal meaning-making.
Applications
The findings can be used to design more value-sensitive AI systems, particularly in spiritual and religious domains.
Limitations & Outlook
The study is limited to Korean Christians' prayer experiences, and conceptual designs have not been validated in practical applications.
Plain Language Accessible to non-experts
Imagine you're cooking in a kitchen, and AI is like an assistant helping you prepare ingredients and offering suggestions, but not making decisions for you. In prayer, AI can provide inspiration and support, but the experience and decisions are ultimately yours.
ELI14 Explained like you're 14
Imagine AI is like a helper in a game, finding clues and items but not playing the game for you. In prayer, AI can give you suggestions and support, but the experience and decisions are ultimately yours.
Glossary
Value-Sensitive Design
A technology design approach that prioritizes human values.
Used to design AI systems that reflect user values.
Technospirituality
A field that examines how technology supports and mediates spiritual experiences.
Researching AI's application in spiritual domains.
Authenticity
A sense of genuine connection to the divine.
Participants felt AI might diminish this feeling.
User Agency
The user's ability to shape their own experiences.
The study emphasizes preserving user agency in AI systems.
Inexplicability
The characteristic of AI systems being difficult to explain.
Seen as a resource for personal meaning-making.
Open Questions Unanswered questions from this research
- 1 How to design value-sensitive AI systems in different cultural contexts.
- 2 How to validate conceptual AI systems in practical applications.
Applications
Immediate Applications
Prayer Support
AI systems can provide inspiration and support for prayer, helping users enhance their prayer experiences.
Long-term Vision
AI in Spiritual Domains
Widespread application of AI technologies in spiritual and religious domains, requiring overcoming cultural and technical challenges.
Abstract
We present four conceptual value-sensitive AI systems to examine how the presence of AI could influence praying experiences. Drawing on key values and practices associated with praying identified through a diary study, we designed AI systems intended to "assist" prayer practices. These designs were presented to participants through speculative design workbooks, serving as provocations to co-reflect on how the intervention of AI systems might shape their praying experiences. Our findings suggest that a sense of authenticity (or feeling a genuine connection to the divine) is a crucial value, while the presence of AI was often perceived as diminishing this authenticity, particularly when AI assumed too much agency in guiding praying practices. Based on our findings, we argue that AI system designs for deeply value-laden experiences should preserve users' agency in shaping their own experiences by maintaining interpretive openness, perhaps by leveraging AI's inexplicability as a resource for personal meaning-making or by recognizing non-use of AI as a legitimate design choice.