They do say Jesus will return one day but we are not sure they meant a digitally-altered version who will repond to your confessions at church – but that is exactly what it taking place in Switzerland

A church has started using an AI-powered hologram of Jesus to take people’s confessions.

Worshippers in Lucerne, Switzerland, can voice their concerns and questions and get a response or redemption from the digitally-rendered face. The move is part of an art project called ‘Deus in Machina’ (God in a Machine) at St Peter’s Church. But the church said if it was popular, similar chatbots could one day permanently take on some of the responsibilities of pastors. More than two-thirds of those who spoke to the AI Jesus came out of the confessional reporting having had a ‘spiritual’ experience.

One said: “I was surprised, it was so easy, and though it’s a machine, it gave me so much advice.”

Another said: “I asked about the spiral of violence, how to break one. The answer: through prayer and not seeking retribution.”

While another user revealed: “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.”

The bot was created by computer scientists and theologians from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and was trained on the New Testament and religious information found online. But not everyone was impressed with the temporary installation, with some claiming the avatar’s advice was “generic” and another saying “I see it as a gimmick for sure.”

Theologists also raised concerns, with Professor Peter Kirchschläger, a theologian and ethicist from the University of Lucerne, claiming: “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.”

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