A church in the Swiss city of Lucern has installed an artificial intelligence-powered Jesus.
“It was really an experiment,” said Marco Schmid of the Peterskapelle 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.”
Schmid further stated, as per The Guardian, “We had a discussion about what kind of avatar it would be – a theologian, a person or a saint? But then we realised the best figure would be Jesus himself.”
The AI, called Deus in Machina, appears “aesthetically as Jesus” and will “react verbally and perhaps create a holy moment.”
The church trained the AI in theological texts, inviting visitors to talk to the image. Visitors were also warned not to share personal information.
“It’s not a confession,” Schmid noted. “We are not intending to imitate a confession.”
The AI Jesus will not be permanently implemented. Instead, Schmid explained the AI is best left as an “easy, approachable tool where you can talk about religion, about Christianity, about Christian faith.”
