目前在人工智能（AI）和機器人的開發中，以國際化為背景，以佛教為中心的倫理學傳統雖然有被參考，但其論述並不充分。本文則批判性地對 AI‧機器人的佛性問題做了探討。對機器人有研究的工學者森政弘的佛性論認為機器人也有佛性，但並未承認人類以外的各種存在的倫理性。日本佛教的草木成佛思想被解釋為日本固有的文化，並與泛神論結合。但這只不過是一種被創造出的傳統。與草木成佛思想相關聯的生態環境論可以適用於對 AI 的討論，但缺乏自然和生命同時也是惡之根源的視點。生態環境論和草木成佛思想只有通過對人類中心主義的批判，才能適用於對 AI 的倫理的考察。
Even though the ethical debate on the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robots occasionally evokes cross-cultural and Buddhist ethical traditions, the arguments are far from being fully developed. This article discusses the buddha-nature of AI robots. On this topic, the roboticist Masahiro Mori 森政弘 (1927–) believes robots also possess buddha-nature, but he does not discuss the ethical issues to do with non-human creatures. ‘Omnipresent Buddhahood’ (Jp. Kusa konari hotoke 草木成佛) is believed to be a concept engrained in the Japanese culture. Nowadays, it is often being associated with pantheism, but this approach is only an invention of the modern Japanese society. On the other hand, the ‘Omnipresent Buddhahood’ also came to be associated with ecological theories––an approach that could be relevant to the discussion of AI. However, it overlooks the Buddhist view that consider all lives and the nature as the source of evil. Thus, this approach, which associates ecology with ‘Omnipresent Buddhahood’, could only apply to the ethical discussion of AI, if we incorporate a criticism towards anthropocentrism.
