{
  "id": 17933265,
  "title": "AI-built virtual Buddhist temple draws 1 mil. visitors in less than a week",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/ai-built-virtual-buddhist-temple-draws-1-mil-visitors-in-less-than-a-17933265",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-03T08:22:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20261103/ai-built-virtual-buddhist-temple-draws-1-mil-visitors-in-less-than-a-week"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An AI-generated Buddhist temple called Sansa has attracted over a million visitors in its first week since its launch. Created by a 26-year-old Korean job seeker named Park Jin-won, the virtual temple allows users to control a child-monk avatar that can perform various Buddhist rituals and prayers. Park developed Sansa due to his own desire to visit a temple but find the effort cumbersome. Since its debut on October 26, Park has been documenting Sansa's growing popularity and showcasing the virtual temple's features through social media updates.",
  "summary": "\"I don't have the energy to actually go to a temple. So I just sit here for a little while before leaving.\" A virtual Buddhist temple created with artificial intelligence (AI) by a 26-year-old Korean job seeker has become an unexpected online hit, drawing more than 1 million visitors less than a week after its launch. Called \"Sansa,\" the digital space lets users control a child-monk avatar that…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}