{"schemaVersion":"1.2","articleId":"hp:cases:shamain","locale":"en","canonicalUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/","articleVersion":"1.0","translationVersion":"1.0","release":{"releaseId":"2026-10-31.2","manifestUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/data/releases/2026-10-31.2/manifest.json","citationsUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/data/releases/2026-10-31.2/citations.json","publicRecordBundleUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/data/releases/2026-10-31.2/hieropedia-public-record-2026-10-31.2.tar.gz"},"claims":[{"segmentId":"s001","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s001","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s001","sourceHash":"3e1a871c291f678e","translationHash":"3e1a871c291f678e","excerpt":"ShamAIn Type Shamanism-inspired conversational AI experiment Documented settings University research installation; Ground Seoul public exhibition Interface Voice conversation within a shrine-like space Technical implementation GPT-4o and sp","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s002","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s002","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s002","sourceHash":"73888fd6ff445422","translationHash":"73888fd6ff445422","excerpt":"ShamAIn is a conversational AI research installation inspired by Korean shamanism, developed by researchers affiliated with KAIST and the University of Michigan. The project investigated interactions with an AI presented as a superior autho","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-1","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-1","sourceUrls":["https://pure.kaist.ac.kr/en/publications/shamain-designing-superior-conversational-ai-inspired-by-shamanis/"]},{"referenceId":"ref-2","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-2","sourceUrls":["https://v.daum.net/v/9J1l9dXD7L"]}]},{"segmentId":"s003","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s003","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s003","sourceHash":"9a40d4d770957437","translationHash":"9a40d4d770957437","excerpt":"Development and public exhibition","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s004","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s004","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s004","sourceHash":"7994d134e95f5af5","translationHash":"7994d134e95f5af5","excerpt":"The team used research through design, developing an installation to investigate how its arrangement shaped interactions. Its peer-reviewed paper, ShamAIn: Designing Superior Conversational AI Inspired by Shamanism, was published in the CHI","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-1","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-1","sourceUrls":["https://pure.kaist.ac.kr/en/publications/shamain-designing-superior-conversational-ai-inspired-by-shamanis/"]}]},{"segmentId":"s005","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s005","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s005","sourceHash":"e6ed85be1a44f039","translationHash":"e6ed85be1a44f039","excerpt":"The public installation at Ground Seoul was documented by Chosun Ilbo during a visit on 23 December 2024. The exhibition ended three days later. The report stated that the project was not intended for commercialisation. This public presenta","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-2","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-2","sourceUrls":["https://v.daum.net/v/9J1l9dXD7L"]},{"referenceId":"ref-5","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-5","sourceUrls":["https://changmin.io/projects/shamain"]}]},{"segmentId":"s006","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s006","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s006","sourceHash":"93b890ae45cb6dad","translationHash":"93b890ae45cb6dad","excerpt":"Design and operation","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s007","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s007","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s007","sourceHash":"6098073278cdb687","translationHash":"6098073278cdb687","excerpt":"The installation combined a tablet resembling an ancestral tablet with ribbons, bells, candles and a cushion. Visitors supplied personal information and conversed with a middle-aged woman's voice. Its presentation drew on saju, divination u","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-3","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-3","sourceUrls":["https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20250131/ai-fortune-teller-and-digital-clergy-spark-debate-on-religions-future"]}]},{"segmentId":"s008","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s008","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s008","sourceHash":"7acadad10ac82340","translationHash":"7acadad10ac82340","excerpt":"The published implementation used GPT-4o to generate responses and speech synthesis to deliver them. Conversation history informed replies within a session but was reset between visits. [4] According to The Korea Herald, the system used Ope","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-4","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-4","sourceUrls":["https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3714297"]},{"referenceId":"ref-6","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-6","sourceUrls":["https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10424984"]}]},{"segmentId":"s009","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s009","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s009","sourceHash":"1b41d8d79f22a1f2","translationHash":"1b41d8d79f22a1f2","excerpt":"Study and reported results","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s010","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s010","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s010","sourceHash":"b27cc623693e930b","translationHash":"b27cc623693e930b","excerpt":"Twenty recruited, compensated participants completed the six-week study and made repeated visits to an installation in a university building. The team reported respectful engagement, disclosure of personal concerns and experiences of suppor","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-4","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-4","sourceUrls":["https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3714297"]},{"referenceId":"ref-5","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-5","sourceUrls":["https://changmin.io/projects/shamain"]}]},{"segmentId":"s011","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s011","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s011","sourceHash":"7b94eee8be19e99a","translationHash":"7b94eee8be19e99a","excerpt":"Project leader Tek-Jin Nam told The Korea Herald in February 2025 that participants moved from casual exchanges to serious concerns and reported comfort and useful guidance. He also said the team could not establish whether the experience p","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-6","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-6","sourceUrls":["https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10424984"]}]},{"segmentId":"s012","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s012","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s012","sourceHash":"9022f66d607bc996","translationHash":"9022f66d607bc996","excerpt":"Reception and later discussion","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s013","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s013","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s013","sourceHash":"c3699a017fdc94c4","translationHash":"c3699a017fdc94c4","excerpt":"The Chosun Ilbo reporter described kneeling without being instructed and using respectful language while the system replied informally. The same account found some advice commonplace, recording deference and scepticism within a single encou","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-2","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-2","sourceUrls":["https://v.daum.net/v/9J1l9dXD7L"]}]},{"segmentId":"s014","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s014","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s014","sourceHash":"73e319af2bd0d8ab","translationHash":"73e319af2bd0d8ab","excerpt":"Kyunghyang Shinmun discussed ShamAIn again in February 2026 in reporting on AI-assisted fortune-telling, personal planning and reassurance. Nam connected the case to a broader concern about people entrusting their judgment to digital author","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-7","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-7","sourceUrls":["https://www.khan.co.kr/en/article/202602082138027"]}]},{"segmentId":"s015","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s015","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s015","sourceHash":"5e8cb703acae5c4f","translationHash":"5e8cb703acae5c4f","excerpt":"Co-creator Hyungjun Cho revisited the project in The Formal Superior: Conversational Agent ShamAIn, first published online on 29 May 2026. The chapter describes a reversal of the usual human–tool hierarchy and identifies risks of uncritical","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-8","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/#ref-8","sourceUrls":["https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-92-0537-0_6"]}]},{"segmentId":"s016","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s016","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s016","sourceHash":"72f049954fdd06c8","translationHash":"72f049954fdd06c8","excerpt":"Classification","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s017","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s017","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s017","sourceHash":"0168eb93e7d83dc4","translationHash":"0168eb93e7d83dc4","excerpt":"ShamAIn is documented as a research prototype and temporary public installation combining AI conversation with a divinatory setting. The available record supports its classification as a case of machine-mediated religious interaction, not a","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s018","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s018","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s018","sourceHash":"69824d3b0e70ca6a","translationHash":"69824d3b0e70ca6a","excerpt":"References","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s019","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s019","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s019","sourceHash":"ee2a8d85dcd51ea3","translationHash":"ee2a8d85dcd51ea3","excerpt":"KAIST. Publication record for ShamAIn: Designing Superior Conversational AI Inspired by Shamanism. Hyungjun Cho and colleagues, 26 April 2025. Chosun Ilbo. Report from the Ground Seoul installation. 28 December 2024; visit on 23 December. T","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://pure.kaist.ac.kr/en/publications/shamain-designing-superior-conversational-ai-inspired-by-shamanis/"},{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://v.daum.net/v/9J1l9dXD7L"},{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20250131/ai-fortune-teller-and-digital-clergy-spark-debate-on-religions-future"},{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3714297"},{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://changmin.io/projects/shamain"},{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10424984"},{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://www.khan.co.kr/en/article/202602082138027"},{"kind":"external-source","target":"https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-92-0537-0_6"}]},{"segmentId":"s020","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s020","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s020","sourceHash":"38be461095528729","translationHash":"38be461095528729","excerpt":"The research paper, institutional metadata and co-author accounts share a project lineage; journalism documents the public installation and attributed reactions. The full CHI paper was unavailable for inspection; methodological details were","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s021","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s021","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s021","sourceHash":"2fa97693b70fa87b","translationHash":"2fa97693b70fa87b","excerpt":"See also","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s022","claimId":"hp:cases:shamain:s022","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-shamain-s022","sourceHash":"6dfe25a8f1b3ed5b","translationHash":"6dfe25a8f1b3ed5b","excerpt":"Deus in Machina (AI Jesus) Machine-mediated religion","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/shamain/editorial-notes/"}]}]}