Asking the Algorithm Generative AI and the Search for Meaning
This project investigates AI‑mediated spirituality: the ways in which individuals seek spiritual guidance and existential meaning from large language models and related generative AI systems.
Building on her interdisciplinary background in religious studies and empirical social research, and in close collaboration with the University Research Priority Program Digital Religion(s) at the University of Zurich, Victoria Lorrimar conducts a mixed‑methods study of individuals who turn to generative AI for existential insights and spiritual growth.
The project combines digital ethnography with quantitative research to capture both fine-grained individual experiences and broader social patterns of engagement. Quantitative data on AI‑mediated spirituality will be archived open access in line with principles of open science and set in comparative dialogue with existing data from Australia, the UK, the US, and Japan.