AI is changing pilgrims' journeys, but sacred journeys have always adapted to new technology

In 2025, scholars Wayne E. Arnold and John A. Shultz embarked on a multiday pilgrimage along the Kumano Kodō trail in Japan, guided by an artificial intelligence assistant. The pair trained the AI companion to assist with translation and other travel needs during the journey. In a later publication in the International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, Arnold and Shultz noted that their hike served as a test case for how pilgrimage may evolve in the digital age, suggesting that AI does not diminish the experience but rather reimagines it.

They highlighted how AI is changing pilgrimages, echoing the impact of earlier disruptive technologies such as printing presses and steamships. Throughout history, pilgrimage has been a practice that adapts to new technologies. For instance, the Hebrew Bible instructs believers to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem three times a year, while in the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples participate in such journeys.

After the destruction of the Jewish Temple, Christian pilgrimages to sites mentioned in the Gospels became common. Despite the challenges posed by long-distance travel, the rise of Islam in the 7th century AD led to the establishment of the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, creating major pilgrimage routes in North Africa and Southwest Asia.

Modern transportation, such as steamships and air travel, transformed pilgrimages by making them faster and safer, and even before these advancements, information technologies began shaping pilgrimages by making it easier for believers to find destinations and navigate safely. Guides and itineraries, including those by Egeria and the Bordeaux Pilgrim, emerged in the fourth century AD, aiding travelers in the Holy Land.

The printing press further revolutionized pilgrimage by making guidebooks like Bernhard von Breydenbach's "Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam" widely available, allowing aspiring pilgrims to follow his footsteps to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Mount Sinai. By 1500, the book had been reprinted over a dozen times, making the Holy Land accessible to a wider European Christian audience.

Even with the advent of photography, film, and the internet, pilgrimages have continued to evolve, with modern smartphone apps offering enhanced communication, safety, and augmented reality experiences.