Behind the animated Christ is a specially trained chatbot with artificial intelligence
Dir.bg
A church in Switzerland is using an artificial intelligence with the face of Jesus Christ to take confessions from believers, the New York Post reports.
“I was surprised, it was so easy, and even though it was a machine, it gave me so much advice,” a worshiper told DW News, describing his experience at St. Peter’s Church in Lucerne.
The futuristic sanctuary, called Deus in Machina (“God in the Machine”), includes a confessional with a screen that shows a digitized image of Jesus through a grid.
If a believer wants to make a confession, they are greeted by the following inscription on the touch screen:
“Do not reveal personal information under any circumstances. Use this service at your own risk. Press the button if you accept.”
If the believer chooses to continue, they can make a confession to Jesus, who is actually an artificial intelligence chatbot. Questions can also be asked. When he answers, the animated image of Jesus moves in sync with the speech.
The AI hologram can converse in 100 languages, allowing it to communicate with people from all over the world.
Many believers are impressed by the “resurrection” of Christ in digital form. AI Jesus took confessions from August 23 to October 20 and will be part of church events until the end of this month.
“I asked about the spiral of violence and how to break it,” says a satisfied devotee. “The answer was: through prayer and without seeking revenge.”
AI Jesus even tackles difficult theological questions. When asked how to support an elderly, seriously ill person who has chosen assisted suicide from a Christian perspective, the digital Jesus advises:
“Maybe you should ask your loved one: What does faith mean to you at this difficult time? Is there anything else in life that can bring you peace or joy?”
The Jesus-faced chatbot then adds:
“Your job is not to judge, but to accompany with love.”
Not everyone is thrilled with the idea of a digital Jesus intermediary. Some call it a “gimmick,” while others find his advice “general.”
The church has even received angry warnings that the project “will not be without consequences.”
Some liken the innovation to George Lucas’ dystopia THX 1138, in which enslaved underground dwellers made confessions to a Jesus-like chatbot.
Professor Peter Kirchschleger, a theologian at the University of Lucerne, argues that machines lack the moral compass needed to practice religion.
Theologian Marco Schmidt, from the church that created the AI version of Jesus, acknowledges that the project “has its limitations” and raises ethical questions, but so far all the responses to the AI Jesus “correspond to the theological understanding of the Church.”
Schmidt stresses that the goal is not for the technology to replace Jesus. Instead, the project aims to spark a discussion about the role of artificial intelligence in religion.
“What we are doing here is an experiment. We wanted to start the conversation by giving people a very concrete experience with AI. That way we have a basis for discussion.”
He says artificial intelligence could function as a 24-hour spiritual support assistant, always available to believers.
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