Faith in the Age of AI: Sikh Body Flags Fabricated Gurbani by Chatbots at India AI Summit

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a photograph with France's President Emmanuel Macron, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other world leaders at the AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India on Feb 19 | Photo Credit: PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

The just-concluded India AI Impact Summit, brought together heads of state, policymakers and technology leaders to debate the future of artificial intelligence. But alongside geopolitical strategy and semiconductor supply chains, a more existential concern surfaced: The integrity of faith in the age of AI.

Religious representatives warned that “faith-branded” chatbots are generating inaccurate and, in some cases, fabricated religious content. Among them was Harmeet Shah Singh, a UK-based communications professional who travelled from London to attend the summit. Singh said he tested a GPT application marketed around Sikh teachings using prompts related to Gurbani, the verses and teachings of the Sikh Gurus, and found it generated lines presented as scripture that do not appear in recognised Sikh sources.

“AI is here to stay for long. Religious traditions now confront an unexamined question -- what becomes of transcendence when the sacred is delivered through a subscription bot? This was not a matter of visual manipulation or deepfakes. The system was producing scriptural lines that simply do not exist,” Singh told businessline on the sidelines of the summit.

He said the issue has prompted institutional action. A sub-committee comprising technical experts was recently constituted by Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, President of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), at its headquarters in Amritsar to examine the growing misuse of AI in matters relating to Sikh scripture and history.

“I was part of the meeting. The committee has been formed to curb the growing trend of spreading misinformation about Sikhism through AI technology and to prevent the circulation of content on social media that undermines the dignity and sanctity of the Sikh faith,” Singh said.

Key concern

According to him, a key concern is that foundational AI models developed by major technology firms are not adequately trained on authentic Sikh scriptures and related material. “That’s something which is of profound concern. I don’t think it is a matter of concern only for the Sikh community, but for any religion in general,” he said, warning that fabricated scriptural content could easily be mistaken for authentic text by those unfamiliar with original sources.

Singh added that AI experts from the UK and the US are part of the SGPC’s advisory panel. Sarabjot Singh, an AI researcher and educator formerly with the University of Warwick, also addressed a session at the summit.

“In our profession there are editorial safeguards, but not everyone is aware of them. Technology is at people’s disposal and it is being misused. Content that is generated irresponsibly can cause unrest. Decision-makers, in governments, corporates and those in the AI ecosystem, need to sit together and ensure AI is not misused,” he said.

Published on February 22, 2026