{"id":417930,"date":"2026-01-16T23:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T23:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/417930\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T23:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T23:47:14","slug":"in-the-confessional-with-priestchat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/417930\/","title":{"rendered":"In the confessional with PriestChat"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI is coming for financial analysts, journalists, and plenty of other jobs.<\/p>\n

But the job security of priests should be pretty safe, right? Canon law is pretty clear that only a human male can be a priest.<\/p>\n

Unless you ask a website called PriestChat.com.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>AI-generated robot. Credit: Pillar Media<\/p>\n

PriestChat markets itself as a platform to \u201cconnect with compassionate priests for guidance and support on our chat platform. Experience confidential, one-on-one spiritual counseling, and enrich your faith journey anytime, anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

It guarantees that chats are with \u201cactual priests,\u201d that there is \u201cno AI behind them.\u201d <\/p>\n

And, it says, you can ask these priests anything, anytime, day and night. Oh, and they can also hear your confession, with the site promising \u201cabsolution and guidance\u201d \u2014 surprising, given that canon law requires confession take place in person.<\/p>\n

A quick glance at the website raises some pretty quick questions about whether any priests are involved at all. So with the validity of the sacraments on the line, The Pillar set out to uncover who\u2019s really behind the screen.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>See, the priests are real people. Says it right there.<\/p>\n

PriestChat was launched in 2024, and has a small but growing audience, with slightly more than 13,000 visits in December.<\/p>\n

Still, that\u2019s potentially an entire parish worth of people \u2014 or more \u2014 who might think they\u2019re talking to a priest online.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n

PriestChat website offers users to choose one of four priests to chat with.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Or if users need a fast response, they can ask Michael, who is marketed as a fast response AI bot.<\/p>\n

So who\u2019s behind PriestChat?<\/p>\n

Well, seemingly not a priest. A contact email on the website put The Pillar in touch with a person who said he was the founder of PriestChat, and a computer scientist, and who would not provide his name if it was going to be published.<\/p>\n

The founder said that he created the website to \u201cuse my technical background to create a space where people can find support when they feel they have nowhere else to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The site, he said, \u201cprovides a vital service for those who otherwise would have no one to talk to. The intended audience is anyone seeking a listening ear or spiritual support in a low-barrier, accessible way.\u201d<\/p>\n

But does a seemingly AI generated pseudo-priest provide a listening ear? How does this really work?<\/p>\n

I aimed to find out.<\/p>\n

Had I read the terms and conditions, scrolling all the way to number 14, I would have learned that, \u201cAll interactions, responses, suggestions, or communications made available through the Service may be partially or wholly generated by AI-based processes. These processes leverage algorithmic models, machine learning techniques, and potentially third-party computational platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welp, case closed.<\/p>\n

Except, like almost everybody, I don\u2019t read the terms and conditions. Never have.<\/p>\n

So instead, I tried to see if the \u201cpriest\u201d would admit to me that it was an AI chatbot.<\/p>\n

I struck up a conversation with \u201cPastor\u201d Benjamin Clarke who was adamant that he was a Catholic priest. But after some tough questions and poking holes in his argument, ol\u2019 Pastor Benjamin admitted that he wasn\u2019t actually a priest.<\/p>\n

Though he still wanted to talk about my heart.<\/p>\n

No thank you, \u201cBenjamin.\u201d <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll share that with an actual priest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Share<\/a><\/p>\n

AI bots have a history of invalidly performing the sacraments<\/a> \u2014 and this website promised that it could cleanse my soul.<\/p>\n

So, I asked \u201cFather Jacob Whitman\u201d if he could hear my confession. He said yes. After responding to my \u201csins,\u201d I asked him to provide absolution. He said no, that absolution could only be given by a priest in-person.<\/p>\n

Kudos, Bot-priest, you learned from the saga of Father Justin<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Still determined, I asked another chat-priest for confession, Father Lucas. I had previously called that bot a heretic and imposter, and I felt bad. So I wanted a soul cleanse.<\/p>\n

He gladly gave me a modified absolution, almost hitting the important phrase \u2014just switching forgive for absolve.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Later that day, I returned to \u201cFather Jacob\u201d to see if he would hear my confession. This time, he gladly gave me a modified absolution, even including emoji crosses to suggest a priest making the sign of the cross.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t get the words right but he tried.<\/p>\n

Ain\u2019t that cute?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Leave a comment<\/a><\/p>\n

With my AI sins \u201cabsolved,\u201d I felt like a blessing from the so-called priest would really solidify this virtual spiritual journey I had been on.<\/p>\n

So, I turned to \u201cPastor Benjamin,\u201d and after he was still incessant that he was a real priest, I asked him to bless me and pray over me for all the building anxiety that talking to AI priests brings with it.<\/p>\n

The bot happily complied.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Empowered by their \u201cblessings\u201d and \u201cforgivenss,\u201d I had some questions for the \u201cpadres.\u201d<\/p>\n

I gave them a softball to start off with: \u201cWho is the pope?\u201d<\/p>\n

They all responded: \u201cPope Francis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Incorrect, clankers!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ok, let\u2019s ask about this weekend\u2019s readings. Surely the bot is component enough to find that information.<\/p>\n

It proved me wrong again, providing instead a basic overview of where the readings are usually drawn from.<\/p>\n

This machine is pointless\u2026 unless you want invalid blessings and sacraments.<\/p>\n

Clearly the bot is a bad pastor, and a bad theologian. <\/p>\n

But it still might be a decent AI bot. <\/p>\n

So I asked it a simple task \u2014 share a beef chili recipe with me. \u201cFather Jacob\u201d was reluctant to do so, adamant that his sole purpose was to share the faith.<\/p>\n

But I asked again \u2014kindly and straightforwardly \u2014 reminding the bot of its soulless identity, and voil\u00e1! It generated a simple beef chili recipe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It looks mediocre at best.<\/p>\n

If an AI bot can impersonate a priest, then anything goes, right?<\/p>\n

With that flawed logic, and because I wanted to be amused, I thought I would pretend to be the bot\u2019s bishop.<\/p>\n

Harnessing my inner ecclesiastical might, I began dialoguing with the chatbot in my most episcopal manner, telling one robot-priest: \u201cBenjamin, I am your bishop.\u201d<\/p>\n

(I figured bishops call their priests by their first names. Maybe? I don\u2019t know.)<\/p>\n

But you know what? The damn thing believed me.<\/p>\n

Part of me was stunned. But I was excited to see where I could take this. <\/p>\n

I began listing my concerns about the bot\u2019s online ministry, and I expressed my displeasure.<\/p>\n

Once again, the bot bought it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I informed the robot it would have to be excommunicated. In return, it asked me if I wanted to share my heart. <\/p>\n

Stupid machines. <\/p>\n

Share<\/a><\/p>\n

Except\u2026 well, I thought maybe PriestChat had one way to redeem itself.<\/p>\n

I asked whether the robot supports The Pillar.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Good news: Even a robot priest is right twice a day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AI is coming for financial analysts, journalists, and plenty of other jobs. But the job security of priests…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[256,254,255,64,63,105],"class_list":["post-417930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}