Below is my working bibliography for my research project. I have a total of eight sources. I’m including brief annotations for five of them, focusing on what each article offers to my understanding of how AI affects spirituality, faith, religion, and the platforms used to sell products and services related to spiritual life. For the remaining three, I list them in MLA format without annotations. As my research progresses, these sources might help me clarify the balance between technological convenience and authentic spiritual connection.
1. Gul, Faiza, and Muhammad Jawad Abrar. “The Interaction Of Religion And Technology: Ethical Considerations.” Al-Awan, vol. 2, no. 2, Mar. 2024, pp. 1–10.
In this article, Gul and Abrar explore how modern technology, including AI tools, is affecting religious practices around the world. They point out that while digital platforms make spiritual content widely accessible, the absence of genuine human emotion and empathy raises serious concerns. The authors stress that AI can’t truly “believe” or understand faith it’s just code. Their work helps me see the tension between the convenience AI offers and the deeper, more human connections that many believers still value.
2. Jain, Sushil. “Epistemological Perspectives on IOK in the Western World, and Its Implications for the Judeo-Christian Milieu.” SSRN, [No full publication details provided].
In this article, Jain takes a complex idea called the “Islamization of Knowledge” and looks at its impact on Western religious thought, especially in Judeo-Christian communities. He questions how authority and authenticity in religion shift when AI tools start guiding believers. This matters for my research because it shows that who decides what religious knowledge is valid becomes a big question when AI systems create or filter religious content. It nudges me to think about power and trust: are we trusting human scholars or faceless algorithms?
3. Longkiad, Tantani Binti. “Communicating with God in the AI Era: Spirituality and Technological Transformation.” In Synergy of Catholic Ethics and AI in the Modern Technological Landscape.
In this article, Longkiad considers what happens when religious prayer and worship move online, possibly guided by AI-driven apps. She wonders: can digital prayer reminders or virtual Mass experiences feel as meaningful as physical gatherings? Her perspective highlights a key worry: while AI might make faith more “handy” (like having a prayer app at your fingertips), it might also lose the warmth and shared presence that people find in traditional worship services. Her insights encourage me to consider whether digital convenience comes at the cost of personal, heartfelt religious experiences.
4. Zaid, Bouziane, et al. “Digital Islam and Muslim Millennials: How Social Media Influencers Reimagine Religious Authority and Islamic Practices.” Religions, vol. 13, no. 335, 2022, pp. 1–12.
In this article, Zaid and colleagues explore how Muslim millennials often turn to social media influencers, rather than traditional clerics, for spiritual guidance. This change shows how authority can shift online. If influencers guide faith journeys now, what stops AI-driven influencers from doing the same tomorrow? This raises questions about authenticity and trust: how will believers know if the guidance they’re receiving is genuine or just an algorithm’s guess at what they want to hear?
5. Augspurger, Jens U. “Transforming Lives and Businesses: Spiritual Aspirations in Yoga Marketing.”
In this article, Augspurger looks at yoga teachers who learn marketing strategies from “spiritual marketing coaches.” These coaches blend spiritual talk with commercial aims, calling their clients “yogipreneurs.” By mixing spiritual words with sales pitches, they create a marketplace where inner peace and business savvy go hand in hand. This article helps me see how AI-based marketing tools could intensify this trend, shaping how people think about spiritual value and commercial success. It’s a glimpse into a future where AI might make it even easier to sell spirituality online.
Al-Khalidi, Fatima Kassab Hmoud, and Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Al-Shiha. “Business Ethics Reimagined: Islamic Social Responsibility in the Digital Age.”
Singh, Jagdip, et al. “Sales Profession and Professionals in the Age of Digitization and Artificial Intelligence Technologies: Concepts, Priorities, and Questions.” Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, vol. 39, no. 1, 2019, pp. 2–22.
Soni, Neha, et al. “Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Businesses: from Research, Innovation, Market Deployment to Future Shifts in Business Models.”