FPJ 97th Anniversary: Sadhguru on AI - 'What We Need Is Not To Tame The Technology But To Train The Hands That Use It'

In an age where algorithms shape choices and technology touches every corner of our lives, how do we stay connected to the stillness within? As part of our special anniversary edition exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, innovation, and inner transformation, we sit down with renowned spiritual leader Sadhguru for a thought-provoking conversation. From his perspective on the growing role of AI in human evolution to the vision behind his new meditation app Miracle of Mind, he shares how technology can be a tool not of distraction, but of deep awareness.

Excerpts from the interview:

You’ve inspired millions through your teachings. What was the inspiration behind creating the ‘Miracle of Mind’ app?

Scientists and global health organizations are predicting a mental health pandemic. Every year, nearly 800,000 people commit suicide. The US Surgeon General has said that one in two Americans is lonely. This is not because there are not enough people around. We have too much population, and yet people are lonely!

Loneliness is the incubation period for psychological ailments. We must understand, our mental health and sanity are a fragile privilege that we must protect and nurture. Just as your physical body might be healthy today and could fall sick tomorrow, your mental health can also flip. It is not that insanity is something that happens to others, and we will always be fine. Sane people can become insane because the line between sanity and insanity is thin. For example, when you get angry, you say "I am mad at you." That means you crossed the line from sanity to insanity and then came back after a while. But if you do this too often, one day you will not come back and will be declared mad.

It is very important that each of us take individual responsibility to stay mentally healthy and ensure those around us also stay that way. If this has to happen, you must unleash the miracle of mind.

We are enamored with spacecrafts and supercomputers, but they are just a small drop out of the human mind. The mind is the gadget on the planet, but instead of being a miracle, it has become a misery manufacturing machine for most people. You may call it stress, anxiety or tension, but fundamentally, your intelligence has turned against you. To put it very simply, we have not even read the user's manual of this most sophisticated and fantastic instrument.

Without knowing anything about this, people want to operate it accidentally. When you do things accidentally, it is bound to be a mess.

This is why we have created the Miracle of Mind app. We want to make sure that at least in small measure, people learn to access this instrument that is the human mind.

In what ways is ‘Miracle of Mind’ different from other meditation or wellness apps out there?

The Miracle of Mind app offers you a simple meditative process that you can do anywhere to bring a sense of peace, joy, and exuberance into your life to create mental health, emotional stability, and balance. This app has taken a lot of resource and effort to create, and it comes with AI tools that can help in various ways. But it is offered for free because in the next 18 to 24 months, we want three billion people to close their eyes and meditate for just seven minutes a day. Three billion people is about half the adult population on the globe. If half the adult population close their eyes and sit for just 7 minutes a day, you will see many things will change for the better in the world.

You often say "inner engineering" is the ultimate solution. How does this app embody that idea for someone who may not have access to your programs in person?

You have been given this masterpiece of engineering – the human mechanism. The most fantastic engineer in the universe exists within. If you eat a piece of bread, in a couple of hours, it becomes a human being. With a piece of bread, you manufacture the most complex mechanism on the planet! So the most phenomenal engineer is within you. If you learn to inner engineer it a bit so that it works the way you want, it will go on with absolute ease, without any friction.

Miracle of Mind is about taking charge of your mind and emotion so that they work for you, not against you. This means health, peace, joy and above all, an ambiance for you to explore the human genius.

What kind of transformation can users expect if they consistently engage with the practices offered in the app? Is it truly possible to feel peace or joy in just a few minutes a day?

If one wants to realize the miracle of the mind, there are very powerful and sophisticated processes, but if you want to do very complex and sophisticated things, it takes a lot of time, energy and focus to make it happen. Most people in the world may not be ready for that, even if it is for their own wellbeing, so I am asking for just seven minutes a day.

A lot of studies have been done in premier universities in the world, which say that with seven minutes of meditation, the alpha waves in the brain are sufficiently enhanced to stabilize your mood and keep you in a peaceful condition.

With seven minutes a day, you can own your day. That is the Miracle of Mind. If you attend to it properly, your mind can do such miracles.

There’s a perception that smartphones and spiritual practices don’t go together. But you're now using one to deliver the other. Do you see this as a contradiction—or a necessary evolution?

Technology is a great facilitator, which can never be against us if it is in the right hands. What we need is not to tame the technology but to train the hands that use it. Let technology grow unbridled. We as human beings have to know how much we should do. For this we need a conscious approach, not just with the use of technology but with every aspect of life. If how we breathe, walk, sit and stand becomes a conscious process then technology is a great boon. Everyone can use it to enhance their work, whatever they are doing. I am sure you are enjoying the benefits of technology in your field of work and I am enjoying the benefits of technology even as a spiritual teacher.

A Rama, a Krishna, a Buddha, a Jesus, so many great beings have come on this planet but when they spoke, only fifty or a hundred people could hear. But today I can sit here and speak to the whole world. So how can I complain about technology?

Today when people are willing to load all kinds of rubbish on the Internet and reach people, I don’t see why the spiritual process should not reach everyone online. The most important thing to be done right now in the world is to raise human consciousness. With the kind of technologies, capabilities and empowerment available to us, we should see that this becomes mainstream.

This is our time on the planet and it is for us to see that we do the best possible things that humans can do.

Can ancient wisdom and future tech truly coexist—or are we heading toward a spiritual crisis?

People are always asking, "Sadhguru, in these times of technology and materialism, is spirituality possible?" But I am telling you, this is the best time ever in the history of humanity. Today, we have reached a level of technology where, for the first time in the history of humanity, if you go into a shop and have the money, you can buy whatever you need for the next year and not have to step out of your house. This was never possible before. Every day, for thousands of years, if you wanted water, you had to carry your pot and go out. Even now it is still the same situation for many in the world, but for a large number of people, their survival is organized in a way that they don’t have to bother much about it. It is only now that if you want, you can close your doors, simply sit and meditate for three days – this was never possible before. So, technology is not against us, technology is with us.

Popular Than ChatGPT, Sadhguru’s ‘Miracle Of Mind’ Meditation App Crosses 1 Million Downloads In 15 Hours

In today's AI-driven world, what do you think humanity is gaining—and possibly losing?

We are in times where human beings are super-empowered with technology and machines are smarter than us. A time will come – it is already here, but it is still not available to everyone – where everything you need to know from kindergarten to PhD will be accessible on your phone. In another ten years, we do not know if the school will be the way it is because machines will be smarter than you and your teachers. These will be good times because you do not have to waste time learning how to add two plus two.

In the next 15-20 years, people are talking about how everyone will have a universal survival kit – they will get a certain amount of money so that they do not have to work for basic survival. But when that happens, the way human beings are right now, 40 percent of people could slip into indolence, excessive eating, alcohol, drugs, and such things - a tragic way of existence. Another 20-30 percent could become arrogant and be in constant conflict with others. Another 20-30 percent could become super productive and wonderful, doing things that really matter to humanity and life on this planet. What we as a humanity make of it will depend on how sensible we remain. My intention is that the percentage of people doing wonderful things must improve. For this, enhancing oneself becomes very important.

The Miracle of Mind app is a step in this direction. It is my wish and my blessing that every human being on the planet experiences the Miracle of Mind. All human beings without exception, have the capability to become architects of their own joy and masters of their own destiny. All are welcome to assist and fulfill this most important cause for the wellbeing of future generations. Leaving a better generation of human beings than what we are is a responsibility that we cannot shirk.

If someone is feeling overwhelmed by the pace of life and technology today, what’s one practice or insight you would offer as a starting point for stillness?

In today’s world, the amount of visual and the audio input is so heavy that turning inward looks like a very remote thing for most people. There is a dimension in Ashtanga Yoga called Pratyahara. Ashtanga Yoga is not a brand, it means eight-limbed Yoga. One of the limbs is Pratyahara, which means taking away your sensory engagement with the world and turning inward. You do not need any training for this. Sit with your eyes closed. Do not engage with the outside world, for whatever number of hours that you can. Initially, your mind may go all over the place. It is okay, do not try to control it; let it go wherever it wants. If you just leave it for some time without tending to it, it will slow down and stop. Just keep your eyes closed, not looking at anything. Start with an hour, and see if you can push it further.