Jurnal Kawistara : Jurnal Ilmiah Sosial dan Humaniora
Vol 16, No 2 (2026)

Religious Verification Through AI: Tagging Grok in Indonesian Online Debates on X

Muhammad Maulana (Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies, Sekolah Pascasarjana, Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Muhammad Arinalhaq (Kajian Budaya dan Media, Sekolah Pascasarjana, Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Muhammad Hendri (Program Pascasarjana, Institut Seni Yogyakarta)
Gustira Monita (Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Aug 2026

Abstract

Studies of digital religion have shown that computational systems can shape public judgment by organizing information and appearing as neutral evaluators of contested claims. One form of this AI mediated religious knowledge is religious verification, which refers to how religious claims are tested, justified, and made credible in public exchanges. This occurs, for example, when the artificial intelligence system Grok appears in discussion threads on X when users tag the system while debating religious teachings, interpretations, and public claims. This study examines how religious verification is enacted through tagging Grok in Indonesian online debates. Rather than treating AI only as a technical source of information, the article approaches tagging as a communicative practice through which participants recruit an algorithmic system into the evaluation of religious knowledge. Using qualitative internet-based research, the study observes publicly accessible Indonesian threads that explicitly tag @grok in conversations related to religion. The analysis shows three interconnected forms of verification: teaching verification, claim verification, and polemical verification. These forms indicate that users mobilize AI as a visible reference point for clarification, comparison, and argumentative support. The article argues that religious verification in platformed debate depends on negotiated relations between users, religious claims, and algorithmic responses. This process shows how AI begins to acquire perceived epistemic authority in everyday digital religious exchanges without replacing established religious authorities.

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