Controversy Erupts over Swiss Church’s AI Jesus Social Experiment

BY : Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor

A Church in Switzerland recently installed an artificial intelligence (AI) of Jesus Christ in the confessional booth. The AI, known as “Deus in machina,” was installed at Peter’s Chapel, a Catholic church in Lucerne, Switzerland, as part of a social experiment.

“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,” Marco Schmid, a theologian with Peter’s Chapel, told The Guardian.

According to Church Leaders, the project launched in April in collaboration with a local university research lab, which was studying artificial and augmented reality experiences.

Following a discussion on a confession booth, the church settled on having an AI Jesus on the other side of the lattice window. The installation was made to speak 100 different days and was made available 24 hours a day. During a period of two months, worshippers were encouraged to step into the booth and ask the AI Jesus questions. Additionally, they were advised not to act as if it were an actual confession. Thus, they should refrain from sharing personal information.

Although the data from the experiment has yet to be publicized, Schmid said that a majority of the people who interacted with the AI Jesus said it was a “spiritual experience.”

“So we can say they had a religiously positive moment with this AI Jesus,” Schmid said. “For me, that was surprising.”

On the other hand, Peter Kirchschläger, a professor of theology and ethics at the University of Lucerne, said, “We should be careful when it comes to faith and 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,” he added.

Moreover, some who interacted with the AI Jesus were not overly impressed with the experience, calling its responses “trite” and “repetitive.”

Although Schmidt hopes that the installation does not permanently remain at the church, he noted that the experiment sparked curiosity about spiritually connecting with the real Jesus.

“I think there is a thirst to talk with Jesus,” he said. “People want to have an answer. They want words and to listen to what he’s saying. I think that’s one element of it. Then, of course, there’s the curiosity of it. They want to see what this is.”