Values Across Faiths: Inculcating Holy Scriptures in Daily Lives with GenAI
A technical deep-dive into building an interactive-learning app to teach moral values with AWS PartyRock during the PartyRock Hackathon.
Published Mar 10, 2024
I graduated from a women's university, surrounded by brilliant minds focused on algorithms and exams. Yet, I felt a void. The constant competition, the pressure for placements, it all seemed to overshadow something crucial: our moral compass. I remembered participating in a value education olympiad in 8th grade conducted by ISKCON, where ancient wisdom like the Bhagavad Gita resonated deeply with my young mind. It sparked a question: Why can't we bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern challenges?
With that spark, Values Across Faiths was born. It's not just an app, it's a call to action. A call to reignite the conversation about values, to weave them into the fabric of our daily lives, and to transcend the competition mentality that divides us.
Values Across Faiths isn't just another app. It's a dialogue generator, a thought-provoking platform, and a safe space for exploration. It allows you to delve into the teachings of any faith, tailoring them to your age group and life experiences. Through engaging scenarios and chatbot interactions, you discuss real-life dilemmas, contemplate ethical choices, and discover the timeless relevance of ancient wisdom.
No matter your faith, background, or age, Values Across Faiths empowers you to:
- Engage in meaningful conversations about morality.
- Uncover the universal language of right and wrong.
- Apply ancient wisdom to modern challenges.
- Build a more compassionate and just world.
In our fast-paced world, navigating life's challenges can feel overwhelming. Wouldn't it be comforting to know that timeless wisdom, passed down for generations, can still offer guidance today? That's the power behind Moral-E, a unique feature within Values Across Faiths.
Imagine yourself facing a difficult situation – feeling isolated from your social circle, struggling with a workplace conflict, or overwhelmed by life's pressures. Moral-E steps in as your personal AI confidant, offering a bridge between ancient scriptures and your modern-day struggles.
Here's how it works:
- Choose Your Guiding Light: Moral-E allows you to explore wisdom from a vast library of sacred texts, including the Bhagavad Gita, Quran, Bible, Upanishads, and many more. Select the scripture that resonates most with your faith or sparks your curiosity.
Input the Holy Scripture you wish to refer to - Unburden Your Heart: Confide in Moral-E. Describe your situation in detail, expressing your feelings and anxieties. The more specific you are, the more tailored the guidance will be.
- Timeless Wisdom for Modern Problems: Moral-E is an advanced LLM that is built on top of AWS's Claude model enabling it to analyze your situation and provide insights drawn from your chosen scripture. These ancient teachings, though written centuries ago, address the core human experiences that transcend time.
The beauty lies in the universality of these messages. Whether you're facing struggles with relationships, career choices, or personal growth, the core values of truth, compassion, and righteousness found in these scriptures offer an unwavering compass.
Moral-E empowers you to see challenges not as dead ends, but as opportunities for growth and self-discovery. These sacred texts aren't relics of the past; they're living testaments to the enduring power of human values. Through Moral-E, you can tap into this timeless wisdom, finding solace, strength, and solutions that resonate with your deepest beliefs.
Values Across Faiths takes your exploration of sacred teachings a step further with its innovative "Explore the Meanings" feature. This tool powered by AWS PartyRock bridges the gap between timeless wisdom and real-life situations you face every day.
Here's how it works:
- Choose Your Wisdom: Enter which teaching you want to understand the meaning of.
- Tell Us Who You Are: Indicate your age group to tailor the scenario to your life.
- Step into the Story: Claude, a powerful AI storyteller, crafts a realistic scenario that reflects the chosen teaching and challenges faced by your age group.
Let's say we chose the age group of 30-60 and want to understand this teaching better:
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you. … By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
John 13:34–35
This is the complete scenario that was generated by Claude:
Here is a possible dialogue reflecting on the value of loving one another:
Me: Hey sis, wait up! How's it going?
Sister: Ugh, I'm so annoyed right now. You won't believe what happened.
Me: What's wrong? Tell me about it.
Sister: So I was chatting with my friend group on social media last night, and Sara totally threw shade at me out of nowhere. She was mocking my outfit from a photo I posted last week, saying how lame it was. It was so rude and hurtful.
Me: Oh no, I'm sorry that happened. Sara's comments sound really mean.
Sister: I know right? I was so upset I just logged off. I almost posted something nasty back at her, but didn't want to stoop to her level. I thought we were supposed to be friends. Why would she say something like that publicly?
Me: People can be hurtful sometimes, even friends. But you're right, reacting angrily may not help the situation either.
Sister: I just keep thinking about it and it's driving me crazy. Part of me wants to confront her or vent to our other friends about how awful she's being. I don't get why she would act this way out of the blue. What do you think I should do?
Me: Hmm...I don't know sis. It's a tough situation. What would be the right thing to do?
Sister: I'm not sure...I'll have to think on it more. But thanks for listening, it helped to talk it out.
Me: Of course, that's what sisters are for! I know you'll figure out the best way forward.
Here's where the conversation gets interesting. Values Across Faiths utilizes another advanced AI model, an LLM chatbot powered by Claude, to engage you in a dialogue about the scenario. Based on your response to the "what would you do?" prompt, the chatbot will explore the chosen teaching's relevance to your situation.
By placing yourself in relatable scenarios, you gain a deeper understanding of how ancient wisdom applies to your daily life. You'll learn to navigate complex situations with confidence, armed with the timeless values found in sacred texts. It sparks critical thinking, fosters self-awareness, and empowers you to make choices aligned with your values.
Values Across Faiths was built with passion, dedication, and a deep belief in the power of shared values. I wanted to create a platform that was accessible, engaging, and impactful. I used AWS PartyRock to build a robust AI infrastructure, capable of generating interactive scenarios and simulating meaningful conversations. I focused on creating an experience that touched hearts and ignited minds.
- The user enters a scripture name and problem description in the UI.
- User input is sent to the API Gateway.
- The Lambda function (Preprocessing) retrieves scriptures and parses the user problem.
- The parsed problem description is sent to Amazon Comprehend for further analysis.
- Preprocessed scripture passages and user problem representation are sent to the Bedrock Integration component.
- Bedrock Integration sends prompts to the chosen foundational model (Claude3).
- The FM generates a response based on the prompts.
- The response is sent back to the Lambda function (Postprocessing).
- The Lambda function filters, formats, and prepares the final response for the user.
- The formatted response is displayed in the chatbot UI.
- User interaction data and FM responses are stored in DynamoDB.
- The user selects holy teaching and age group in the UI.
- User input is sent to the API Gateway.
- The Lambda function (Preprocessing) retrieves teaching and maps the age group.
- Bedrock Integration sends prompts to FMs for all functionalities.
- The FMs generate a scenario, an image, and chatbot responses based on the respective prompts.
- The Lambda function (Postprocessing) performs quality checks and formatting.
- The scenario, formatted chatbot responses, and the image are displayed in the UI.
This journey starts with more than just lines of code – it starts with a community. I have the incredible privilege of leading a vibrant technical community of over 2,000 women engineers, and that's precisely where Values Across Faiths will take flight.
Why begin here? Because change, true and lasting change, often starts with a ripple. By introducing the app to this supportive network, I can witness its impact firsthand, see lives transformed, and witness the power of shared values unfold. And that's just the beginning.
This is not just about reaching 2,000 individuals; it's about igniting a chain reaction. Imagine the wave of impact these empowered women engineers can create as they share their experiences and insights with their circles, families, and professional networks. The ripple effect becomes a tidal wave, carrying the message of values and ethical action far and wide.
But the journey doesn't stop there. The power of AWS PartyRock has only just been tapped. I am brimming with excitement to explore its full potential, customizing the app's experience to cater to even more diverse needs and preferences. Each personalized interaction will deepen user engagement and make exploring values an even more meaningful journey.
Values Across Faiths is not just an app; it's a movement. By joining forces with my technical community, leveraging the power of PartyRock, and continuously striving for innovation, I envision a future where:
- Values become the cornerstone of every decision, action, and interaction.
- Compassion and understanding bridge the divides between faiths and cultures.
- Ancient wisdom empowers modern minds to build a brighter future.
Join me on this journey. Let's transform this spark into a blazing fire, illuminating the path toward a world guided by values and powered by GenAI. Together, we can make a difference, one ripple at a time.
Try the app out here: Values Across Faiths | By Pooja Gera