Artificial Religious Agents as Instrumental Partners: Physical AI, Religious Integration, and Philosophical Implication

             The shift toward “Physical AI” demands a rigorous ontological reappraisal of agency within the religious sphere. Moving beyond the “mere instrument” paradigm, this paper posits that embodied artificial agents occupy a distinct stratum of agency best characterized as an “instrumental partner.” I navigate the tension between the standard, consciousness-centric views—such as Swanepoel’s—and the non-standard, Floridi’s functionalist decoupling of agency from intelligence. By integrating Dung’s five-dimensional agency metrics with theological rubrics—specifically McGrath’s “TRUST” framework and Herzfeld’s Barthian relational criteria—I articulate a nuanced model of artificial religious agency. Synthesizing these with Ihde’s “quasi-other” and Turkle’s “relational artifact,” the study establishes a formal definition for this hybrid partnership. This theoretical groundwork serves as a necessary precursor to determining the ethical scope and responsibility of AI in spiritual practice, providing a vital roadmap for navigating the burgeoning intersection of social robotics and religious life.