The hundreds of thousands of people attending Isha Foundation’s Mahashivratri event in Coimbatore got the chance to have one-on-one experiences speaking with an AI avatar of the spiritual leader, Sadhguru, in multiple languages via Proto Hologram.
On February 15th, the Isha Foundation invited the world to Mahashivratri at the Isha Yoga Centre (in Coimbatore, India) - one of the globe’s largest multi-cultural events and spiritual festivals, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors in person from over 100 countries, and approximately 140 million via global streaming. In addition to guided meditations with renowned Yogi Sadhguru, theall-night festival included nightlong musical and cultural arts performances.
For the first time this year, attendees were able to have their own one-on-one conversations with an AI Avatar of Sadhguru by visiting the Proto Hologram units at the event. Through it, attendees received answers to their questions in keeping with his wisdom, and Yoga practices. They were also able to have Sadhguru’s avatar take a selfie and download the photos via Proto’s innovative selfie feature.
Henry Asplin, a representative from Isha Foundation, said: “Our hope is that through this, we see more people taking up the simple, evidence-based Yoga and meditation practices that Sadhguru is offering. Mahashivratri is one of the largest multi-cultural events on the planet, and for us this is a way to connect further with this global audience, and offer them a unique experience - in their own language.”
Sadhguru’s use of Proto is the first time a spiritual leader has utilised this technology, which provides a real sense of presence.
David Nussbaum, inventor and founder of Proto Hologram, said: “When people step in front of Sadhguru in the Protos at Isha Yoga Centre, they hade a genuine experience of his presence, from head to toe. It’s the same reason our technology is used by doctors having life changing conversations with patients every day - when what people are talking about matters more than anything in the world, the importance of feeling like they are really together adds focus, trust, and real human connection.”
The AI hologram represents a continuation of Isha Foundation’s approach to leveraging technology to support meditators in their practice.