Controversy Erupts As 'AI Jesus' Takes Over Church’s Confessional Booth

Many are calling it the “work of the devil.”

Jesse

• Published in News
• December 10, 2024

In today’s world, technology has infiltrated nearly every aspect of our lives. From smartphones that track our steps to AI assistants that schedule our appointments, it seems there’s no limit to how far innovation can take us. 

We’ve embraced tech in healthcare, education, and even personal relationships—dating apps, anyone? But what happens when technology ventures into territory that was once considered sacred?

As humanity continues to push the boundaries of what machines can do, the lines between the practical and the profound blur. Could technology, a product of human invention, ever serve a higher purpose beyond convenience and efficiency? Could it step into the realm of spirituality?

These questions aren’t as hypothetical as they sound. In a bold and controversial move, one church in Switzerland has taken the next step in the evolution of AI by introducing it into the sacred tradition of confession. 

Imagine walking into a confessional booth expecting to bare your soul to a priest, only to find yourself speaking with a digital avatar of Jesus Christ. Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, right? Well, for visitors of Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, this was reality.

The chapel, known for blending tradition with innovation, unveiled “Deus in Machina” — Latin for "God in the Machine.” This project involved installing an AI-powered “Jesus” in its confessional booth. 

The goal was to explore how people would interact with an artificial version of the divine and to understand the potential for technology in spiritual spaces. 

The experiment has sparked heated debates, with some calling it a revolutionary exploration of faith and others decrying it as sacrilegious.

Is this the future of faith? ‘AI Jesus’ has the critics crying blasphemy

The "AI Jesus" system was installed in Peter’s Chapel in August 2024 and ran for two months. Combining GPT-4o, Whisper speech technology, and an AI video generator, the system provided a digital version of Jesus that could converse with visitors in over 100 languages. 

Users were guided by simple lights—green to speak, red to listen—and could talk about anything on their minds. Now, to the part you’ve all been waiting for—the feedback. 

Out of 1,000 participants, over 230 submitted detailed reviews. Two-thirds found the experience easy to use and claimed to leave with a sense of spiritual fulfillment.

Philipp Haslbauer, the IT specialist behind the project, noted that while some people were deeply moved and inspired, others found the AI responses superficial. “Sometimes he was really very good, and other times, not so much,” Haslbauer said.

Despite the technical glitches, the experiment was deemed a success—however, not everyone was on board. 

Critics in the church community condemned the project as sacrilegious, with some branding it the “work of the devil.” They argued that the sacred act of confession shouldn’t be reduced to an interaction with a machine.

Despite the backlash, theologian Marco Schmid defended the project, clarifying that the AI wasn’t designed to replace priests or offer absolutions. Instead, it aimed to provoke thought about the intersection of faith and technology. 

As interest grows from other parishes and researchers, the question remains: Is AI the next frontier for religion, or has humanity finally taken technology too far? 

Whatever the answer, one thing is certain—this experiment is just the beginning of a larger conversation about spirituality in the digital age.

Jesse