CBS News – A legend in well-being, Deepak Chopra has been at the intersection of science and spirituality for almost half a century, meeting world-class leaders and celebrities alike and becoming a best-selling author with his dozens of books.
Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Chopra moved to the United States in his 20s, beginning his career as an endocrinologist before growing into a prominent figure in the New Age movement who became famous for teaching meditation to household names like Oprah and Michael Jackson.
In his 95th book, “Digital Dharma,” Chopra explores his beliefs about technology and spirituality — like why he believes artificial intelligence is the key to personal growth.
He told “CBS Saturday Morning” that while some people may prefer to focus on the “doomsday scenarios” associated with the technology, he wants to look at the positives.
“You can use AI as a spiritual guide”
“You can use AI for self-reflection. You can use AI for research as a research assistant, you can use AI as a health coach, both physical and mental, but even more important as a spiritual guide,” Chopra, 77, said. “You have access to all the spiritual luminaries of humanity since the dawn of history.”
He recommends starting by asking AI a general question, like how to sleep better at night. When it gives responses, filter by the ones that are best for you.
“The machine is not intelligent, OK? It’s a database,” Chopra explained.
“But it’s an amazing database, because it’s a database of philosophy, of science, of spirituality, of religion, of physics, of mathematics, of biology, of anthropology, the database of human knowledge.
“There’s no single person who has access to that, but this is like Aladdin’s lamp: You use it correctly and the genie comes out of it and it can solve any problem that you have … ”