Swiss church installs AI display attempting to simulate Jesus in confessional

[Stone]

Swiss church installs AI display attempting to simulate Jesus in confessional
St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, has installed an attempted AI simulation of Jesus in a confessional booth to ‘talk’ to visitors and answer their spiritual questions, without necessarily affirming Catholic teaching.



Lucerne, JUL 16: Interior view of the beautiful St. Peter's Chapel on JUL 16, 2017 at Luzern, Switzerland
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Nov 20, 2024
(LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic church in Switzerland has installed an attempted artificial intelligence simulation of Jesus Christ in a confessional booth, designed to advise visitors on issues of all kinds, including religious and moral questions.

The so-called “Deus in Machina” display in St. Peter’s Chapel of Lucerne, Switzerland, features a digital, hologram rendering of Jesus behind a confessional grate, which “talks” to deliver AI-generated answers to visitors’ questions and whose simulated “face” can be seen behind the screen.

“Do not disclose personal information under any circumstances, use this service at your own risk, press the button if you accept,” the simulation warns before a visitor presses said button to consent to the AI “conversation.”

According to one female visitor, the AI program said upon their greeting to the machine, “Peace be with you, brother. In times of uncertainty and doubt, remember that faith can move mountains. What is troubling your heart today?”

As many as two-thirds of those who interacted with the AI simulation reportedly said they had a “spiritual experience.” One woman told the outlet DW, “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.”

A blog post from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts shared how one interviewer asked, “How do I support, from a Christian perspective, an elderly, sick person who has decided on assisted suicide?”

The AI bot responded without advising the application of Catholic doctrine to the situation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that euthanasia “constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator.”

Without making any mention of this key Catholic teaching, the bot advised: “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?”

Marco Schmid, a “resident theologian” at the parish and a co-founder of the AI program, said the simulation “Jesus” has been trained in Scripture and on theology derived from the internet, which, as The Pillar noted, leaves “open the possibility it could offer biblical interpretations or spiritual advice at odds with Church teaching.”

The team behind the program said it is meant to make people “think critically about the boundaries of technology in the context of religion” and that its placement in the confessional was designed to encourage “moments of intimacy” with the AI simulation, not to encourage Catholics to use it instead of the sacrament of Penance, during which Catholics do not simply ask for advice, but confess their sins to a priest: “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” (John 20:23)

Schmid told Swiss Info that “in all previous tests, his answers have matched the theological view of St Peter’s church.”

The theologian said that he was not offended by reports that the AI “Jesus” simulation gave “trite,” “clichéd” answers to spiritual questions, which one user said reminded them of a “motivational calendar.”

“I’m glad that the avatar still comes across to a certain extent as a technical object,” said Schmid. “At the same time, the answers it gives are also fascinating. So there’s plenty to talk about when it comes to AI in a religious context.”

Lucerne theologian and philosopher Peter Kirchschläger reportedly said the AI simulation “Jesus” goes too far, although his reported comments did not address the ethical implications of the AI bot.

“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 AI simulation was installed in August, and will wrap up on November 27, when a presentation on its results will be given at the same church in Lucerne.

Switzerland’s computer simulation is one of a growing number of AI projects in the Catholic Church in recent months, one of which was quickly withdrawn after online backlash. In August, Catholic Answers announced the launch of the AI bot “Father Justin,” which was programmed to answer questions about the Catholic faith by drawing from the Catholic Answers archive.

The priest avatar was criticized for being “inappropriate, misleading, or just plain creepy,” The Pillar reported. Worse, the AI bot simulated virtual sacraments — “indeed, ‘Fr. Justin’ gladly heard a ‘confession’ submitted by The Pillar before attempting to give spiritual guidance and reciting the words of absolution,” the outlet reported.

Some Catholics were rightly horrified at these accounts, because of the AI bot’s false pretext of granting valid absolution of sins, which only a validly ordained priest can give in a valid confession.