Artificial intelligence should augment human capabilities but must never replace human consciousness, Justice Ajit Kumar of the Allahabad High Court said on Friday at a dialogue in Prayagraj titled “Human Consciousness in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” He warned that excessive dependence on AI risks weakening essential human faculties such as self-awareness and judgment, and urged that consciousness, judgment and self-awareness remain central to technological progress.
Several judges, law officers, advocates and other dignitaries attended the programme, which was organised by SHANKH, an organisation the press release described as being believed ideologically inclined to the RSS. According to the release, Justice Kumar said technology should remain a tool to assist humans and that each invention carries both positive and negative consequences depending on how it is used. “Technology can become a means of progress when the human mind approaches it constructively,” he added, while cautioning that over-reliance could erode critical human abilities.
Speakers from spiritual organisations framed AI as a resource that must be guided by human insight. Chinmaya Mission’s Swami Mitranand said AI could aid India’s search for truth and help harmonise tradition with modern technology, but stressed it “cannot replace human originality or enable spiritual realisation.” He cited his team’s use of AI tools to present the Bhagavad Gita and efforts to render the complete Kamban Ramayanam in Tamil as examples of technology used to showcase India’s spiritual and cultural heritage.
Acharya Shantanu Maharaj noted that AI itself is a product of human consciousness: while it can generate answers, “the ability to ask questions remained uniquely human.” The speakers collectively emphasised a cautious, human-centred approach to AI-one that leverages technological gains without ceding moral judgement, creativity or spiritual inquiry to machines.
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Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ai-must-not-replace-human-consciousness-allahabad-high-court-judge-11911958#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-08-15 00:10:00
