Dubbed ‘God in a machine,’ worshippers in Switzerland can now tell their sins directly to an AI version of Jesus who will promptly absolve them of them.
The hologram of the Messiah is part of an art project at St Peter’s Church in Lucerne, aimed at starting a conversation about the role of AI in religion.
This temporary feature of the church, AI Jesus, has been trained on the New Testament by scientists at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is even able to give worshippers advice. Since it is trained on the New Testament, it is going to be misogynistic but will not advocate slavery or for gays or witches to be murdered.
Church-goers have lauded the guidance they’ve received from the second coming of Christ. One worshipper told DW: ‘I was surprised, it was so easy and though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice.’
Another added: ‘He was able to reaffirm me in my ways of going about things and he was able to help me with questions I had like how I can help other people to understand him better and come closer to him.’
Visitors walk into a confessional booth, sit down, and look at a screen showing the Messiah’s face through a grate.
AI Jesus then begins: ‘Do not disclose personal information under any circumstances, use this service at your own risk, press the button if you accept.’
Worshippers can ask Jesus questions and divulge their sins. The bot, which can speak more than 100 languages, interprets the questions and formulates a response.
One visitor shared: ‘I asked about the spiral of violence and how to break one. The answer: through prayer and not seeking retribution.’
Not all feedback has been positive, with some visitors branding it ‘generic’ and a ‘gimmick.’ However, theologists see AI's potential impact on churches despite ethical considerations.
Marco Schmid, a theologist at St Peter’s Chapel, said: “AI fascinates us but it also has its limits and raises ethical questions. His answers have matched our theological understanding of St Peter’s Chapel in previous tests. Accessibility is easy 24 hours a day, so it has abilities that pastors don’t have.”
AI is also less likely to create a sexual abuse scandal.
