Deus In Machina: Church sets up ‘AI-powered Jesus’ to help worshippers confess

What if we told you that the latest application of artificial intelligence is in spirituality and religion? 

The Saint Peter's Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, has done exactly that, installing a unique feature — a large image of Jesus Christ — inside a confession booth. 

But this installation, known as Deus in Machina (God In Machine), is an AI-powered installation featuring an animated Jesus displayed on a curved screen. Visitors have to give consent first to confess. The AI Jesus communicates in over 100 languages — which comes in handy in assisting people of diverse faiths, globally.

The setup includes advanced computer equipment powered by an NVIDIA RTX GPU, a large monitor displaying the avatar, and various cables facilitating the system, reports DW.

But how does the AI Jesus perform? Well, based on DW's report, the bot does indeed provide definitive answers to users' queries, but sometimes ends up posing questions to the user.

For example, DW asked, "Why can't women become priests?" In response, the AI Jesus gave a somewhat concrete answer, stating that scriptures designate different roles for different people.

Another person who entered the confession booth told DW, "It is so easy, and though it is a machine, it gave me so much advice. Also, from a Christian point of view,  I felt taken care of and I walked out really consoled."

According to a theologian at the Saint Peter's Church in Lucerne, this initiative aims to give people a concrete experience with AI. Due to privacy concerns, worshippers are suggested not to share any personal information to the avatar.

This AI bot has been trained using the Bible and other religious scriptures. The project involves scientists from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and theologians.

DW also reports that as much as two-thirds of people who used the booth described their experience as spiritual.