Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

Known as Deus in Machina, the AI was launches in August and is capable of speaking over 100 different languages.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 22, 2024 08:44

People visiting the booth were advised not to disclose any personal information. (photo credit: Peter Diem/Lukasgesellschaft)

A Swiss church installed an artificial-intelligence (AI) to represent Jesus, The Guardian reported on Thursday. 

The church introduced the AI installation, in collaboration with a local university research lab on immersive reality.

“It was really an experiment,” said Marco Schmid, a theologian with the church. “We wanted to see and understand how people react to an AI Jesus. What would they talk with him about? Would there be interest in talking to him? We’re probably pioneers in this.”

Known as Deus in Machina, the AI was launched in August and is capable of speaking over 100 different languages, The Guardian reported. 

To house the AI, the church set up a confessional both, where instead of visitors confessing their sins to a priest, they would now be talking an AI powered depiction of Jesus. 

Generative AI shows a lifelike image of Jesus of Nazareth. (credit: Midjourney)

The Guardian wrote that, similarly to ChatGPT the AI has the ability to respond in real time to questions and conversations. 

The church said that more than 1,000 people have spoken with the AI, reporting both positive and negative experiences, with some finding it difficult to talk to a machine. 

What's next for AI

With the rise of AI taking over occupational jobs, such as a priest in the Swiss church, many wonder what comes next?

In 2023, a researcher at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business looked into the question of if Rabbi’s could one day be replaced by AI?

“I doubt that religious leaders will ever be fully automated because they need credibility, and robots aren’t credible,” said Prof. Joshua Conrad Jackson, who lead the study. 

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Jackson stated that while such displays of credibility may be unimportant in many of the other professions being outsourced to robots, but could be crucial for professions in the religious sphere.

As a result, exposure to robot vs. human preachers may reduce perceptions of credibility, and this reduction in credibility should translate to less religious commitment.

“Robots and AI programs can’t truly hold any religious beliefs so religious organizations may see declining commitment from their congregations if they rely more on technology than on human leaders who can demonstrate their faith,” Jackson concluded.