Son of a bot! AI Jesus hologram takes confessionals in Swiss church

Those visiting the oldest church in Lucerne, Switzerland, may be in for a surprise when they are greeted in the confessional by an AI-powered hologram of none other than Jesus Christ himself.

St Peters’ Chapel in Lucerne worked with the Immersive Realities Research Lab at the city’s HSLU university on this experimental art installation, which aims to raise questions about the opportunities and risks involved with the use of artificial intelligence in pastoral care.

People can interact with a hologram representation of Jesus which reportedly addresses users with “Peace be with you, brother” (regardless of the person’s gender), and encourages them to discuss “whatever is troubling your heart today.”

Not sure what happens if the answer is “You being a hologram, for a start!”

The installation is titled ‘Deus in Machina’ and was conceived by Philipp Haslbauer and Aljosa Smolic from the Immersive Realities Center at Hochschule Luzern, alongside Marco Schmid, who is a theologian at the parish.  

“The title of the installation – ‘Deus in Machina’ – suggests divine omniscience and wisdom. It is deliberately provocative,” said Marco Schmid of St Peter’s Chapel. 

“Curious people who are more distant from the church are particularly likely to show great interest in exchanging ideas with the AI Jesus,” he added. 

The program encourages people to “think critically about the boundaries of technology in the context of religion,” according to the team, who insisted that putting the installation in a confessional was a practical decision meant to encourage “moments of intimacy” with the hologram. It is not proper penance. 

Indeed, in case you were wondering, the conversations with AI Jesus, who can speak 100 different languages, do not count as confessions.

Schmid told Swissinfo that the AI program was trained using sacred scripture and theological texts from the internet, leaving open the possibility it could offer biblical interpretations or spiritual advice at odds with Church teaching. However, he claimed “in all previous tests, his answers have matched the theological view of St Peter’s church”.

Considering AI systems follow algorithms devised by third parties, the question of their decision-making process is an interesting thing to consider, as well as the ethical advice it gives. 

The church is aware of this, and the installation will culminate in a presentation and discussion of the project’s results, which will take place on 27 November. 

That said, it hasn’t stopped the backlash online, with many finding the whole thing either ridiculous or very offensive.

“If you notice I’m gone for a few days, and then hear about a fire in a church in Switzerland, I certainly had nothing to do with it,” one user joked.

Another asked: “I’m very not religious but isn’t this very against the teachings?” 

So, is it “Father, forgive them for they have glitched?”

“Or they do know what they are doing?”

Additional sources • Swissinfo