{"schemaVersion":"1.2","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"},"articleId":"hp:cases:yang-mun","locale":"en","canonicalUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/","title":"Yang Mun","articleVersion":"1.0","translationVersion":"1.0","translationState":"source","translationRevisedOn":"2026-10-31","translationMethod":"original","translationCompleteness":"complete","publishedOnOrBefore":"2026-10-31","lastReviewed":"2026-10-31","retrievedOn":"2026-10-31","authorship":"Hieropedia Editorial","formattedCitation":"Hieropedia Editorial. \"Yang Mun.\" Hieropedia, version 1.0, last revised 2026-10-31, last reviewed 2026-10-31. https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/ Retrieved 2026-10-31.","citationKey":"hieropedia-hp-cases-yang-mun-en","cslJson":{"id":"hieropedia-hp-cases-yang-mun-en","type":"webpage","title":"Yang Mun","URL":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/","version":"1.0","language":"en","author":[{"literal":"Hieropedia Editorial"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,31]]},"note":"Stable article ID hp:cases:yang-mun; translation version 1.0; last revised 2026-10-31, last reviewed 2026-10-31. Published on or before 2026-10-31; this is not asserted as an exact publication date."},"bibtex":"@online{hieropedia-hp-cases-yang-mun-en,\n  author = {{Hieropedia Editorial}},\n  title = {{Yang Mun}},\n  url = {https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/},\n  urldate = {2026-10-31},\n  note = {Version 1.0; stable article ID hp:cases:yang-mun; last revised 2026-10-31; last reviewed 2026-10-31; published on or before 2026-10-31 (not an exact publication date)}\n}\n","claimMapUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/claims.json","evidenceDossier":null,"preservationManifest":null,"claims":[{"segmentId":"s001","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s001","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s001","sourceHash":"c5ac5f93a5d189cb","translationHash":"c5ac5f93a5d189cb","excerpt":"Yang Mun Form Human-operated synthetic video persona presented as a Buddhist monk Creator identified in sources Shalev Hani Documented setting Social media videos and associated commercial wellness material Scope A case of religious represe","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s002","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s002","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s002","sourceHash":"d31333a7ceabf666","translationHash":"d31333a7ceabf666","excerpt":"Yang Mun is an AI-generated video persona who appears as an elderly East Asian monk offering spiritual and wellness guidance. Reporting in 2026 identified marketer Shalev Hani as its creator and examined the gap between the presented teache","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-1","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/#ref-1","sourceUrls":["https://columbianewsservice.com/2026/03/24/millions-found-comfort-in-a-buddhist-monk-but-he-was-never-real/"]},{"referenceId":"ref-3","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/#ref-3","sourceUrls":["https://www.heygen.com/customer-stories/yangmun"]}]},{"segmentId":"s003","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s003","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s003","sourceHash":"bc2da75e495cc0bd","translationHash":"bc2da75e495cc0bd","excerpt":"A produced voice and image","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s004","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s004","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s004","sourceHash":"ee51a9d6ac9393cc","translationHash":"ee51a9d6ac9393cc","excerpt":"HeyGen’s customer story describes Hani writing short scripts, sometimes using its script-writing tool, and generating avatar-and-voice videos in batches. That account locates creative decisions in human production rather than an independent","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-3","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/#ref-3","sourceUrls":["https://www.heygen.com/customer-stories/yangmun"]}]},{"segmentId":"s005","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s005","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s005","sourceHash":"bb3e51391a5f7d50","translationHash":"bb3e51391a5f7d50","excerpt":"The technical accounts are not fully reconciled. Maria Flannery’s January 2026 Eurovision News Spotlight investigation reported Google SynthID markings in the visuals it examined. 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The site offered ebooks and a paid guided program. Columbia News Service’s March report likewise found","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-2","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/#ref-2","sourceUrls":["https://spotlight.ebu.ch/p/yang-mun-ai-influencer-scam"]},{"referenceId":"ref-1","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/#ref-1","sourceUrls":["https://columbianewsservice.com/2026/03/24/millions-found-comfort-in-a-buddhist-monk-but-he-was-never-real/"]}]},{"segmentId":"s008","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s008","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s008","sourceHash":"a2447d8d6a4d394f","translationHash":"a2447d8d6a4d394f","excerpt":"Religious authority and reception","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s009","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s009","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s009","sourceHash":"c7b08ae658c9afa6","translationHash":"c7b08ae658c9afa6","excerpt":"Columbia’s interviews recorded both perceived comfort and criticism. Venerable Juewei objected to borrowing the trust associated with a Buddhist monk; Ryan Stagg criticized the use of familiar Western images of Asian spiritual wisdom. Their","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}],"sourceReferences":[{"referenceId":"ref-1","referenceUrl":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/#ref-1","sourceUrls":["https://columbianewsservice.com/2026/03/24/millions-found-comfort-in-a-buddhist-monk-but-he-was-never-real/"]}]},{"segmentId":"s010","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s010","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s010","sourceHash":"2e8640b8eafb6ca6","translationHash":"2e8640b8eafb6ca6","excerpt":"A Religion News Service report republished by The Christian Century on 1 September described a viewer who had understood Yang Mun as an elderly human teacher. 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The record supports studying synthetic religious presentation and its reception. I","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s013","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s013","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s013","sourceHash":"2fa97693b70fa87b","translationHash":"2fa97693b70fa87b","excerpt":"See also","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s014","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s014","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s014","sourceHash":"516f65f680507069","translationHash":"516f65f680507069","excerpt":"AI persona spirituality Religious chatbots and scripture interfaces","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s015","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s015","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s015","sourceHash":"69824d3b0e70ca6a","translationHash":"69824d3b0e70ca6a","excerpt":"References","sourcePointers":[{"kind":"editorial-record","target":"https://hieropedia.org/cases/yang-mun/editorial-notes/"}]},{"segmentId":"s016","claimId":"hp:cases:yang-mun:s016","anchor":"claim-hp-cases-yang-mun-s016","sourceHash":"0503e3a61362b63b","translationHash":"0503e3a61362b63b","excerpt":"Columbia News Service, “Millions Found Comfort in a Buddhist Monk. 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