Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus | Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The small, unadorned church has long been considered the oldest in the Swiss city of Lucerne. But St. Peter’s Chapel has become synonymous with all things new after an artificial intelligence Jesus capable of speaking in 100 different languages ​​was installed there.

“It was really an experiment,” said Marco Schmid, theologian at St. Peter’s Chapel. “We wanted to see and understand how people react to an AI Jesus. What would they talk to him about? Are you interested in speaking to him? We are probably pioneers in this regard.”

The installation, known as “Deus in Machina,” was launched in August as the latest initiative in a years-long collaboration with a local university research lab on immersive reality.

After projects that experimented with virtual and augmented reality, the church decided the next step was to install an avatar. Schmid said: “We had a discussion about what kind of avatar it would be – a theologian, a person or a saint? But then we realized that the best character would be Jesus himself.”

Lacking space and looking for a place where people could have private conversations with the avatar, the church swapped its priest to set up a computer and cables in the confessional. After training the AI ​​program on theological texts, visitors were then asked to ask questions of a long-haired image of Jesus broadcast through a grid screen. It responded in real time and offered answers generated by artificial intelligence.

Individuals were advised not to provide any personal information and to confirm that they knew they were interacting with the avatar at their own risk. “It’s not a confession,” said Schmid. “We have no intention of imitating a confession.”

During the experiment’s two-month period, more than 1,000 people – including Muslims and tourists from China and Vietnam – took the opportunity to interact with the avatar.

While data on the installation will be presented next week, feedback from more than 230 users suggests that two-thirds of them found the installation a “spiritual experience,” Schmid said. “So we can say they had a religiously positive moment with this AI Jesus. That was surprising to me.”

Others were more negative, telling the church that it was impossible for them to speak to a machine. A local reporter who tried out the device described the responses as sometimes “trivial, repetitive, and exuding a wisdom reminiscent of calendar clichés.”

The feedback suggested that there were big differences in the avatar’s responses, Schmid said. “I feel like sometimes he was really, really good and people were incredibly happy and surprised and inspired,” he said. “And then there were moments when he wasn’t that good somehow, maybe more superficially.”

The experiment also met with criticism from parts of the church community, said Schmid. Catholic colleagues protested against the use of the confessional, while Protestant colleagues appeared to be annoyed by the use of images in the installation in this way.

What impressed Schmid most, however, was the risk the church took by trusting that the AI ​​would not dish out illegal or explicit answers or offer interpretations or spiritual advice that conflicted with the church’s teachings.

To mitigate this risk, the church conducted tests on 30 people before installing the avatar. Once launched, it ensured that support was always nearby for users.

“We never had the impression that he said strange things,” said Schmid. “But of course we can never guarantee that he won’t say something strange.”

Ultimately, it was this uncertainty that led him to decide that the Avatar was best left as an experiment. “I wouldn’t do that to permanently represent a Jesus like that. Because the responsibility would be too great.”

But he was quick to point out the idea’s broader potential. “It’s a really simple and accessible tool to talk about religion, Christianity and the Christian faith,” he said, musing that it could be turned into a kind of multilingual spiritual guide that could answer religious questions.

For him, the experiment – ​​and the great interest it had sparked – had shown that people wanted to go beyond the Bible, sacraments and rituals.

Schmid said: “I think there is a need to talk to Jesus. People want an answer: they want words and want to listen to what he says. I think that’s an element of it. Then of course there is curiosity. They want to see what it is.”