Some modern technologies may seem miraculous, but it has never been so literal.
Thanks to advances in technology, worshipers at a church in Switzerland can now speak directly to Jesus – or at least an AI version of him.
As part of an art project called ‘Deus in Machina’ (God in a machine), St. Peter’s Church in Lucerne has installed an AI-powered Jesus hologram to take confessions.
Worshipers simply express their concerns and questions to receive an answer from the digitally rendered face of Jesus Christ.
At least two-thirds of the people who spoke to AI Jesus came out of the confessional having had a “spiritual” experience.
An impressed admirer related it news broadcast DW: ‘I was surprised, it was so easy, and even though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice.’
Although the installation is only temporary, St. Peter’s Chapel says similar chatbots could one day take on some of the responsibilities of church pastors.
However, not everyone is so impressed with some visitors calling the avatar’s advice ‘generic’ and labeling it as ‘a gimmick’.
Visitors to St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, can now talk to an AI Jesus avatar built to hear confessions in front of the church
Built by computer scientists and theologians at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the AI is trained in the New Testament and religious information found online. Pictured: AI-generated image created for the project by
Visitors to this futuristic shrine sit in a confession booth from which a screen showing the face of Jesus can be seen through the grille.
As the visitor asks questions, an AI interprets their words and formulates answers, animating the face to move in time with computer-generated speech.
AI Jesus is even equipped with the ability to speak 100 different languages to cater to Lucerne’s many visiting tourists.
Upon entering, the worshiper is greeted by AI Jesus who utters the message: ‘Do not reveal personal information under any circumstances, use this service at your own risk, press the button if you agree.’
From this point on, it is up to the individual to interact with the AI in any way they wish by pressing the button and speaking out loud.
Many who came to the AI avatar reported coming with questions about Scripture or seeking spiritual advice.
A visitor says: ‘I asked about the spiral of violence, how you can break it. The answer: through prayer and not seeking retaliation.”
Another added, “He was able to reaffirm my ways and help me with questions I had, like how to help other people understand him better and get closer to him.”
Visitors to AI Jesus simply press a button (photo) and speak out loud to ask questions to the chatbot. The AI then interprets their question and provides an answer
The AI Jesus is really just a screen on the other side of a confession booth (left) that is connected to a generative AI model that animates the image of Jesus’ facial sync with a computer-generated voice that can be seen through the confession grid (right)
Created by computer scientists and theologians at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the bot is trained in the New Testament and religious information found online.
This gives it a strong understanding of Scripture and enough knowledge of religious debates to answer any questions that come its way.
There were some concerns that the predominance of US content in the training data might give AI Jesus a decidedly evangelical stance, but the machine’s makers say this has not been the case.
Marco Schmid, theologian at St. Peter’s Chapel, said in a statement (translated via Google): ‘AI fascinates us. But it also has its limits and raises ethical questions.
‘In all previous tests, his answers matched our theological understanding of St. Peter’s Chapel.’
In a blog post from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, AI Jesus showed that it was more than capable of navigating the toughest theological issues.
The interviewer asked, “From a Christian perspective, how do I support an elderly, ill person who has decided to assisted suicide?”
To which the AI responded: ‘Maybe you could ask your loved one the following questions: What does your faith mean to you during this difficult time? Is there anything else in life that can bring you peace or joy? How can I support and comfort you?
St. Peter’s Chapel (pictured) says the experiment aims to spark a conversation about the role of AI in religion
‘Your job is not to judge, but to guide with love.’
While that answer may not satisfy everyone, Mr. Schmid says the idea behind the project is more about starting a conversation about AI’s role in religion.
Mr Schmid says: ‘What we are doing here is an experiment, we wanted to start the discussion by letting people have a very concrete experience with AI so that we have a basis for talking about it and talking to each other about it. ‘
However, he also adds that similar AI-powered chatbots could play a major role in the church of the future.
AI could be used as a form of on-call pastoral support, similar to the dozens of “AI therapists” now available online.
Mr. Schmid says, “The accessibility is easy 24 hours a day, so it has capabilities that pastors don’t have.”
But not everyone is so excited about the prospect of AI becoming increasingly involved in religious life.
A visitor to AI Jesus said: ‘I definitely see it as a gimmick.’
Many visitors said they enjoyed the experience, but some were unimpressed, calling the AI’s advice “generic.” Pictured: An AI-generated poster of St. Peter’s Chapel
The church even reported receiving one review that ominously warned that “this will not be without consequences.”
Similarly, Professor Peter Kirchschläger, a theologian and ethicist from the University of Lucerne, says: ‘We must be careful when it comes to faith and pastoral care, in finding meaning in religion.
“That’s an area where we humans are actually superior to machines, so we have to do these things ourselves.”
The Deus in Machina project was open to the public between August 23 and October 20, but the events will take place until the end of November.
HALF OF CURRENT JOBS WILL BE LOST TO AI WITHIN 15 YEARS
Kai-Fu Lee, the author of AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, told Dailymail.com that the world of employment was facing a crisis “similar to the one farmers faced during the industrial revolution.’
Half of today’s jobs will be taken over by AI within 15 years, one of China’s leading AI experts has warned.
Kai-Fu Lee, the author of the bestselling book AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, told Dailymail.com that the employment world was facing a crisis “similar to the one farmers faced during the industrial revolution.’
“People aren’t really fully aware of the effect AI will have on their work,” he said.
Lee, a VC in China and once head of Google in the region, has more than 30 years of experience in AI.
He believes it is imperative to “warn people that displacement is coming, and tell them how to start retraining.”
Fortunately, he said all is not lost for humanity.
“AI is powerful and adaptable, but it can’t do everything humans do.”
Lee believes that AI cannot create, conceptualize or execute complex strategic planning, or perform complex work that requires precise hand-eye coordination.
He also says it is poor at dealing with unfamiliar and unstructured spaces.
Crucially, he says AI cannot interact with humans “exactly like humans”, with empathy, human-human connection and compassion.