Artificial intelligence, the technology upending nearly every corner of society, is creeping into religion, serving up virtual Jesuses and automated sermons – a change drawing mixed reviews from the faithful.
Religious chatbots and other faith-based digital tools are growing in number, offering counsel, comfort and spiritual guidance during an age of rapidly transforming socialisation and engagement.
One app, called Text With Jesus, has thousands of paying subscribers. It lets people ostensibly ask questions of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and nearly all 12 apostles.
The idea is to educate, said Stéphane Peter, CEO of Catloaf Software, which created the app.
“This is a new way to address religious issues in an interactive way,” he said.
Although the app makes clear it uses AI, virtual Moses and Jesus do not recognise that as such when asked the specific question.