A new artificial intelligence program, ConversationAI, adds an exciting new dimension to religious engagement. It includes an AI version of Jesus that you can talk to in real time. In many ways, AI Jesus was conceived as a character appealing to modern audiences. It was first trialed at St. Peter’s Church in Switzerland, where it heard confessions from Catholic worshipers and gave recommendations on a range of life decisions.
Led by experts Ben Polkinghorne, Zach Bishop and Chris Chapman, the creative project “Praise the Lord” broke new ground. Inspired by their collaboration, enthusiasm and creative solutions have been contagious. They wanted to build an AI Influencer who truly reflects the teachings of Jesus. This influencer goes above and beyond in directly mentioning brands and products by name in his live conversations. Through this work, they sought to connect spirituality and contemporary consumer culture in a meaningful way.
The developers trained AI Jesus to sound like the kind of Jesus you’d expect Jesus to be. They worked hard to practice and perfect it to make it feel natural. They voiced their aspirations with fervent fire. We want AI Jesus to sound like the real Jesus is having a conversation with you!” they announced. We crafted his character and manner of speaking with the intention of doing justice to what we hope is an honest representation.
While on its test run, AI Jesus exhibited all of its skills. It warned against overindulgence while drinking beer on your birthday, explained how to survive the apocalypse. When quizzed on whether the apocalypse was expected, AI Jesus assured us that no such apocalypse was coming.
Yet for all of its creative ingenuity, AI Jesus immediately ran into backlash. Other users slammed the golden god’s guidance, labeling it as “platitudinous.” There were some who wrote off the whole idea as a mere “gimmick.” Critics claim that inserting religious teachings laced with product placements will take away the sanctity of spiritual directions.
The creators intentionally designed AI Jesus to provoke thought in users, which is intended to make people stop and think before they act. The introduction of product placements raised serious questions about whether it’s appropriate to commercialize the appearance of such religious figures in this way.
Society is still learning to understand the intersection of technology and faith. In this milieu, AI Jesus is a fascinating new frontier of digital religion. Whether or not worshippers will relate to it still remains to be seen after the trial phase is over. Beyond that, it’s a wonderful illustration of how faith is being transformed in the digital age.
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