Multitudes of Individuals Embrace AI-Based Deity for Counsel; Scholars Alert on Potential Perils
In the digital age, AI technology has found its way into the most intimate corners of human life, and this is no exception when it comes to spiritual guidance. A new wave of AI Jesus chatbots, such as Text With Jesus, Virtual Jesus, and Ask Jesus, are being developed by companies like Catloaf Software and SupremeChaos, using advanced AI and ChatGPT technology.
These chatbots strive to be as convincing as possible in portraying Jesus, offering spiritual advice to users seeking guidance. However, their answers aren't always consistent, especially on the question of hell. This inconsistency, along with the commercial aspects of these chatbots, has raised concerns among scholars like philosopher Anné Verhoef of North-West University in South Africa.
Verhoef argues that the rise of AI Jesus chatbots is a new theological crisis, as financial motives could warp digital theology, optimizing answers not for truth, but for engagement. She warns that people could come to trust a chatbot as divine authority, opening the door to political or financial manipulation on a massive scale.
The popularity of these AI Jesus chatbots is undeniable. Ask Jesus reported 30,000 active users within three days of launch. Yet, the rise of these digital preachers also shows how AI is slipping into intimate corners of life, including marriage advice, therapy, and prayer.
Some religions, including Christianity, are cautious about this development. Christianity places heavy emphasis on personal faith, making the idea of a chatbot sermon controversial. Meanwhile, others, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam, are also incorporating AI and robotics into their practices.
In India, robotic arms are performing the Hindu aarti ritual, and a temple in Kerala has an animatronic elephant. In the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV recently canonized Carlo Acutis, a teenager who died in 2006, known as "God's influencer" for documenting Eucharistic miracles online.
However, Joshua Jackson, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago, suggests that AI may not be as effective and convincing or inspirational as a human religious authority. He argues that the human touch is still essential in spiritual guidance.
On the other hand, anthropologist Holly Walters at Wellesley College suggests that churches and temples might find it useful to employ robots for constant prayer or on-demand rituals. She believes that this could help meet the needs of a generation that is increasingly digital.
Despite the concerns, these AI Jesus chatbots are not endorsed by churches and are mostly free, but plastered with ads. Some even offer premium subscriptions. As the debate continues, one thing is clear: AI is transforming the way we seek spiritual guidance, and the implications are far-reaching.
