Church in Switzerland is utilizing an AI-powered Jesus hologram to take confession

Some modern technologies may seem miraculous, but never has that been quite so literal.

Thanks to technological advances, 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 voice their concerns and questions to get a response from the digitally-rendered face of Jesus Christ.

At least two-thirds of people who spoke to AI Jesus came out of the confessional reporting having had a ‘spiritual’ experience.

One impressed worshiper told news outlet DW: ‘I was surprised, it was so easy, and though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice.’

While the installation is only temporary, St Peter’s Chapel says that similar chatbots could one day take on some of the responsibilities of church pastors. 

However, not everyone is quite so impressed with some visitors calling the avatar’s advice ‘generic’ and branding it as ‘a gimmick’.

Visitors to this futuristic shrine sit in a confessional booth from which a screen showing the face of Jesus can be seen through the grate. 

As the visitor asks their questions an AI interprets their words and formulates answers, animating the face so it moves 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 intoning the message: ‘Do not disclose personal information under any circumstances, use this service at your own risk, press the button if you accept.’

From this point on, it is up to the individual to interact with the AI in any way they like by pressing the button and speaking aloud.

Many who came to see the AI avatar reported coming with questions about scripture or seeking spiritual advice. 

One visitor says: ‘I asked about the spiral of violence, how to break one. The answer: through prayer and not seeking retribution.’

Another added: ‘He was able to reaffirm me in my ways of going about things and he was able to help me with questions I had like how I can help other people to understand him better and come closer to him.’

The bot was created by computer scientists and theologians from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and was trained on the New Testament and religious information found online.

This gives it a strong grasp of scripture and enough knowledge of religious debates to answer any questions thrown its way.

There were some concerns that the preponderance of American content in the training data could give AI Jesus a distinctly evangelical stance, but the machine’s creators say this has not been the case.

Marco Schmid, a theologist 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 have 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 thorniest of theological issues.

The interviewer asked: ‘How do I support, from a Christian perspective, an elderly, sick person who has decided on assisted suicide?’

To which the AI responded: ‘Perhaps you could ask your loved one the following questions: What does your faith mean to you in this difficult time? Is there anything else in life that could bring you peace or joy? How can I support you and give you comfort?

‘Your task is not to judge, but to accompany with love.’

While that answer may not be satisfying for everyone, Mr Schmid says the idea behind the project is more about starting a conversation about the role of AI in religion.

Mr Schmid says: ‘What we’re doing here is an experiment, we wanted to launch the discussion by letting people have a very concrete experience with AI, that way we have a foundation for talking about it and discussing it with one another.’

However, he also adds that similar AI-powered chatbots could play a big 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: ‘Accessibility is easy 24 hours a day so it has abilities that pastors don’t.’

But not everyone is quite so enthusiastic about the prospect of AI becoming more involved in religious life.

One visitor to AI Jesus said: ‘I see it as a gimmick for sure.’

The church even reported receiving one review which ominously warned that ‘this will not be without consequences’.

Likewise, Professor Peter Kirchschläger, a theologian and ethicist from the University of Lucerne, says: ‘We should be careful when it comes to faith, pastoral care, when finding meaning in religion.

‘That’s an area where we humans are actually vastly superior to machines so we should do these things themselves.’

The Deus in Machina project was accessible to the public between August 23 and October 20 but events will take place until the end of November.