A church in Switzerland deployed an "AI Jesus" in its confessional booth as part of an experiment using the latest digital technology in a sacred space.

Religious leaders partnered with researchers to see if churchgoers would be willing to put their trust in a machine. During the test period, the digital version of "Jesus" attempted to respond to parishioners' confessions and questions about faith and morality with Scripture-based responses.  

Researchers labeled the experiment as an art exhibit dubbed "Deus in Machina," which translates into English as "God in the machine." The artificially intelligent "divinity" was located at Peter’s Chapel, a Catholic church in Lucerne, Switzerland, for a two-month span.

The tech side of the project was managed by Philipp Haslbauer, an IT specialist at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He created the "AI Jesus” using GPT-4o by OpenAI. He also used an AI video generator from the HeyGen company to mimic a real person.

The findings from roughly 900 conversations from visitors, which were transcribed anonymously, indicate that many visitors were emotionally moved or left in deep thought. 

Nearly 300 of the visitors also filled out questionnaires that were used to create the report. They discussed a wide range of issues with "AI Jesus" including true love, the afterlife, the existence of God, feelings of loneliness, suffering, and sexual issues like homosexuality and abuse cases in the Catholic Church.

The participants were mostly self-described Christians, though agnostics, atheists, Muslims, Buddhists and Taoists took part, as well. The study showed that more Catholic respondents found the experience stimulating than did Protestants.

“What was really interesting (was) to see that the people really talked with him in a serious way. They didn’t come to make jokes,” said chapel theologian Marco Schmid, who spearheaded the project. 

What It Is and What It Isn't

Schmid says the “AI Jesus” was not a substitute for human interaction or sacraments administered by priests.

“For the people, it was clear that it was a computer ... It was clear it was not a confession,” Schmid said. “He wasn’t programmed to give absolutions or prayers. At the end, it was more summary of the conversation.”
 
Haslbauer has also sought to calm public backlash among social media users who call the project “blasphemous” or the “work of the devil.”

“If you read comments on the internet about it, some are very negative - which is scary,” said Haslbauer, who patterned the long-haired "AI Jesus" after his own appearance.

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He went on to demonstrate the virtual "Jesus" and asked it whether AI could be helpful as a way for people to find God. 

“All knowledge and wisdom ultimately come from God," the chatbot said in a soothing voice. “If used wisely, AI can indeed be a tool to explore the wonders of creation, deepen our understanding of Scripture, and foster connections among people.”

"Yet it remains essential to seek God with all your heart and soul beyond any technology,” it added. 

Meanwhile, Schmid doesn't predict another rollout of “AI Jesus” anytime soon, but he is looking into it.

“We are discussing ... how we could revive him again," Schmid said, citing interest from other parishes, schoolteachers, and researchers. “They all are interested and would like to have this ‘AI Jesus’. So we have now a little bit to reflect on how we want to continue."

In a similar experiment within the Lutheran church, one church in Bavaria served up sermons by a chatbot last year.  And an AI-enhanced app was also rolled out last year allowing users to text Jesus and other biblical characters and receive an immediate response. 

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